The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena
by Yugioash
Summary: The Seven chosen demigods have come together to head to save Olympus. Too bad Gaea had allies that manipulated Leo into starting another war between Roman and Greek Demigods, and the only thing that can end the war is hidden in Rome that only Annabeth can find, while the rest must fight the twin banes of Dionysus to save Nico in order to find the Doors of Death and close it.
1. Annabeth's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

 **Annabeth's POV Part I**

All I wanted was to see Percy again. Even with this quest going on, as long as I find Percy, I know I can get through this.

At least, that's what I thought until I met the exploding statue.

I paced the deck of our flying warship, the _Argo II_ , checking and double-checking the ballistae to make sure they were locked down. I confirmed that the white "We come in peace" flag was flying from the mast. I reviewed the plan with the rest of the crew—and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan.

Most important, I pulled aside our war-crazed chaperone, Coach Gleeson Hedge, and encourage him to take the morning off in his cabin and watch reruns of mixed martial arts championship. The last thing we needed as we flew a magical Greek trireme into a potentially hostile Roman camp was a middle-aged satyr in gym clothes waving a club and yelling "Die!"

For a minute I thought I could relax. It seemed things were in order and nothing could go wrong. Even that mysterious chill I'd been feeling since the ship launched had dissipated, at least for now.

And yet I couldn't help but second guess myself as the warship descended through the clouds. What if this was a bad idea? What if the Romans panicked and attacked us on sight?

The _Argo II_ definitely did not look friendly. Two hundred feet long, with a bronze-plated hull, mounted repeating crossbows fore and aft, a flaming metal dragon for a figurehead, and two rotating ballistae amidships that could fire explosive bolts powerful enough to blast through concrete… well, it wasn't the most appropriate ride for a meet-and-greet with the neighbors.

I had tried to give the Romans a heads-up. I asked Leo to send one of his special inventions—a holographic scroll—to alert our friends inside the camp. Hopefully the message had gotten through. Leo had wanted to paint a giant message on the bottom of the hull— _WASSUP?_ With a smiley face—but I vetoed the idea. I wasn't sure the Romans had a sense of humor.

Too late to turn back now.

The clouds broke around our hull, revealing the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below us. I gripped one of the bronze shields that lined the starboard rail.

My three crewmates took their places.

On the stern quarter deck, Leo rushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers. Most helmsmen would've been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Not Leo though. He installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, a motion control senor from a Nintendo Wii. He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album or raised sails by shaking his Wii controller really fast. Even by demigod standards, Leo was seriously ADHD.

Piper paced back and forth between the main mast and the ballistae practicing her lines.

"Lower your weapons," she murmured. "We just want to talk."

Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over me, filling me with the desire to drop my dagger and have a nice long chat.

Ever since Silena Beauregard—daughter of Aphrodite head counsellor of Cabin Ten and Piper's half sister—made Piper her second-in-command, Silena gave Piper advice on how to control her charmspeak, but every once in a while Piper would accidentally slip up and used her charmspeak without thinking about it.

Still, out of all of children of Aphrodite, Piper is the only one I know of that tries hard to play down her beauty. Today she was dressed in tattered jeans, worn-out sneakers, and white tank top with pink Hello Kitty designs. (Maybe as a joke. Although I could never be sure with Piper.) Her choppy brown hair was braided down the right side with an eagle's feather.

Then there was Piper's boyfriend—Jason. He stood at the bow on a raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword. Otherwise he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, he'd donned a toga and purple cloak—symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind-ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control—just like a son of Jupiter should. He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitate to blow the ship out of the sky.

I tried to hide it, but I still feel uneasy about this guy. I mean, sure he was the younger brother of Thalia, and I accepted him as a brother because of it. But he acted too perfect—always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. He even _looked_ too perfect. A part of me was worried that this might be a trick and Piper Leo and I were some peace offering as his prisoners.

I doubt that would happen. Still, I couldn't look at him without being reminded that he was part of Hera's forced "exchange program" to reintroduced the two camps. Her Most Annoying Majesty, Queen of Olympus, had convinced the other gods that their two sets of children—Roman and Greek—had to combine forces to save the world from the evil goddess Gaea, who was awakening from the earth, and her horrible children the giants.

Without warning Hera had plucked up my boyfriend Percy Jackson, wiped is memory, and sent him to the Roman camp. In exchange, the Greeks had gotten Thalia's long lost brother Jason. None of that was Jason's fault; but every time I saw him, I remembered how much I missed Percy.

Percy… my boyfriend whom I knew since I was seven, was somewhere below us right now.

 _Oh, gods_. Panic welled up inside me. I forced it down. I couldn't afford to get overwhelmed.

 _I'm a child of Athena,_ I told myself. _I have to stick to my plan and not get distracted._

There it was again. That familiar shiver, as if a psychotic snowman had crept up behind me and was breathing down my neck. I turned, but no one was there.

Must be my nerves. There was no way a brand new ship that was heavily protected could be haunted. The Celestial bronze shields along the rail were enchanted to ward off monsters, we got crates of Myrmekes Gunk down below in case we need to mask our scent (it wasn't easy getting all the supplies we need to make it), and our onboard satyr, Coach Hedge, would have sniffed out any intruders.

I wished I could pray to my mother for guidance, but that wasn't possible now. Not after last month, when I'd had that horrible encounter with my mom and gotten the worst present of my life…

The cold pressed closer and I thought I heard a faint voice in the wind, laughing. Every muscle in my body tensed. Something was about to go horribly wrong.

I was about to ordered Leo to reverse course when in the valley below, horns sounded. The Romans spotted us, which means we can't turn back now.

I still can't believe after three years since my dad move to San Francisco and the time I lived there with him, I never knew I was so close to the Roman Camp. Then again, most of the time I been in San Francisco, I been keeping an eye on Mount Tam for Titan related activity—which I realized some of the activities I thought were the Titan Army up to no good might of been some Roman demigods dealing with the Titans themselves.

Anyways, I thought I knew what to expect. Jason had described Camp Jupiter to me in great details. Still, I had trouble believing my eyes. Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snaked around one side and curled toward the center like a capital letter _G_ , emptying into a sparkling blue lake.

Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. I recognized landmarks Jason told me about—the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, the neighborhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens.

I saw evidence of the Romans' recent battle with an army of monsters. The dome was cracked open on the building I guessed was the Senate House. The forum's broad plaza was pitted with craters. Some fountains and statues were in ruins.

Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the _Argo II_. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafés, gawking and pointing as the ship descended.

About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill. It looked just like the illustrations I had seen in military history books—with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae. Inside, a perfect rows of white barracks lined the main road—the Via Principalis.

A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant.

I wanted to land the _Argo II_ before those troops arrived, but the ground was still several hundred feet below. I scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Percy.

Of course it was when I was looking down below, something behind me went _BOOM!_

…

The explosion almost knocked me overboard. I whirled and found myself eye-to-eye with an angry statue.

"Unacceptable!" he shrieked.

Apparently he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck. Sulfurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga.

"I will _not_ have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice. "I _certainly_ will not have Greeks!"

Jason shot me a look that said, _I've got this._

"Terminus," he said. "It's me. Jason Grace."

"Oh, I remember _you_ , Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"

"But they're not enemies—"

"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could—"

"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on _me_ , young lady. And put down that dagger before I slapped it out of your hands!"

Piper glanced at her bronze dagger, which she'd apparently forgotten she was holding. "Um… okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."

"Impertinence!" There was a sharp _POP_ and a flash of yellow. Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.

"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"

"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I _know_ you didn't do that."

The idea that Leo might attack the god that is clearly the statue talking to us with his gaming device was enough to snap me out of my shock.

"Let's calm down." I raised my hands to show I had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"

"Oh, I know who _you_ are!" The statue glared at me with blank white eyes. "A child of _Athena_ , Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for _that_ goddess."

I clenched my jaw. This statue wasn't making it easy to be diplomatic. "What exactly do you mean, _that_ goddess? And what's so scandalous about—"

"Right," Jason interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can—"

"Impossible!" the god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"

"Which is it?" Leo asked. "Surrender, or leave?"

"Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that."

Terminus must be only able to do so much with his powers and no arms because Leo didn't seem fazed. In fact, Leo seemed to be studying him with professional interest.

"Wow!" Leo said. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look."

He exchange the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magical tool belt and tapped the statue's pedestal.

"Leo," Jason cleared his throat in a warning way. "Terminus is a god, not an Automaton."

Leo seemed to have not listen as he kept searching for gears or something to work on. I don't even know if the gods take the form of an Automaton.

Then again after finding out that my hero and half-brother Daedalus lived a thousand years by transferring his soul into an automaton, I don't know what to think of it anymore.

"Stop that!" Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo dropped his screwdriver. "Weapons are _not_ allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."

"The what?" Piper asked.

"City limits," Jason translated.

"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You _cannot_ land!"

I looked back down to the valley where the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. I scanned the faces and… oh gods. I saw him. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like we did with Thalia and Luke ten years ago for a group photo. One kid was a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and the other was a girl wearing a roman cavalry helmet. Percy looked so at ease, so happy. He wore a purple cape just like Jason's—the mark of a praetor.

I felt my heart do a gymnastics routine.

"Leo, stop the ship," I ordered.

"What?"

"You heard me. Keep us right where we are."

Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.

"Terminus," I said, "there's no rule against hovering _over_ New Rome, is there?"

The statue frowned. "Well, no…"

"We can keep this ship aloft," I said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."

That statue seemed to ponder this. I wondered if he was scratching his chin with imaginary hands.

"I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still…"

"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," I promised. "I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"

"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"

"Uh, Annabeth," Leo said. You sure this is a good idea?"

I closed my fist to keep them from shaking. That cold feeling was still there. It floated just behind me, and now that Terminus was no longer shouting and causing explosions, I thought I could hear the presence laughing, as if it was delighted by the bad choices I was making.

But Percy was down there… he was so close. I _had_ to reach him.

"It'll be fine," I said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obey his rules. I looked at the marble statue of the god of boundaries. "Do we have an agreement?"

Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. _Please_ try not to destroy my town."


	2. Annabeth's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part II**

I had hopes of returning Percy's shield when I see him, but in order to stay on Terminus' good side, I reluctantly left it on _Argo II_.

Once on the ground, the sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for me as I walked through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.

Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. I saw couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes. Were all of them demigods? I suspected so, though I'd never seen a place like this. At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens. If they survived long enough to graduate high school, they either stay on as counselors or left to start lives as best as they could in the mortal world. Here it was an entire multigenerational community.

I noticed there were a group of girls seem to stand out over the others, wearing black and gray camouflage. At first I thought they were Hunters of Artemis. But then I realized that some of the girls were at least young adult ages and the idea crossed off my mind. I know for a fact that the oldest Hunter was sixteen—which happened to be Thalia.

I decided to figure them out later.

At the far end of the crowd, I spotted Tyson the Cyclops, Percy's hellhound Mrs. O'Leary—who had been the first scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter—and Percy's pegasus, Blackjack—who we send over to help with the war. Each of them looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned. He was wearing a sea green Roman robes that seemed to be splattered in what I can guess peanut butter.

Some part of me registered how beautiful the city was—the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture… gods, the architecture—gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, the terraced villas.

In front of me, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple praetor's cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were black as obsidian.

 _Reyna_.

Jason had described her well. Even without that, I would single her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.

I recognized something else in her face, too—in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge. Reyna was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public.

I knew that expression all too well as I see it every time I looked in a mirror.

The two of seem to consider each other as my friends fanned out on either side. The Romans murmured Jason's name while staring at him in awe.

Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and my vision tunneled to him: Percy.

Percy smiled at me with that sarcastic troublemaking smile that he had since we were seven. His sea-green eyes that show the wise side of him that he gained from reading up on Greek stories and time in Camp Half-Blood were as gorgeous as I remembered. His dark hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach. He still had the frame of a combination of skater-dude and athletic swimmer, but at the same time he looked even better than he had six months ago—tanner and taller, leaner and muscular.

I was too stunned to move. I felt that if I got any closer to him, all the molecules in my body might combust. We knew each other since we were seven when I tried to bash him with a hammer after mistaking him for a monster in human disguise.

Then when I found out about the First Great Prophecy, I was scared that it might refer to Percy and I guess it was around then I started developing a crush on him and yet it wasn't until Percy started going home for the school year, I realized about it.

For four years I tried to keep my crush for a secret. But last summer I'd fallen hard for him hard. We'd been a happy couple for months—and then he'd disappeared.

During our separation, something had happened to my feelings. They'd grown painfully intense—like I'd been forced to withdraw from a lifesaving medication. Now I wasn't sure which was more excruciating—living with that horrible absence, or being with him again.

The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason.

"Jason Grace, my former colleague…" she spoke the word _colleague_ like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends—"

I didn't mean to do it, but I surged forward. Percy pushed toward me at the same time. The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there.

Percy threw his arms around me and we kissed. At that moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, and I wouldn't cared.

Percy smelled of ocean air. His lips were salty.

 _Seaweed Brain,_ I thought giddily.

Percy pulled away and studied her face. "Gods, I never thought—"

Once again, I couldn't help myself as I grabbed his wrist and flipped him over my shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Romans cried out. Some surge forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"

Only those group of girls that stand out were not reacting as they had the impression of shock and impress.

I put my knee on Percy's chest and pushed my forearm against his throat. I didn't care what the Romans thought. A white hot lump of anger expanded in my chest—a tumor of worry and bitterness that I'd been carrying around since he disappeared.

"If you _ever_ leave me again," I said, my eyes stinging "I swear to all the gods—"

At that moment Percy laughed and suddenly the lump of heated emotions melted inside me.

"Considered me warned," Percy said. "I missed you, too, Wise Girl."

I smiled hearing my old childhood nickname Percy gave me when we were kids. I rose and helped him to his feet, resisting the urge to kiss him again.

At that moment a girl from the other group came up. Unlike the others, she was wearing a golden belt that looked familiar. The girl looked like an older version of Reyna, even had the same look only she held hers better than Reyna. I'm guessing Reyna and her were sisters, and like Reyna, I had this feeling I knew her as well.

Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah… It's good to be back."

He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practicing, then Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign.

"And this is Annabeth," Jason said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."

"That's because I save it for my boyfriend," I said.

The older girl snorted. "Too think the guy who took down his father's bane giant allows himself to be judo flipped by his girlfriend."

"Uh—right. Pleased to meet you Reyna," I said extending my hand.

Reyna clasped my hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"

A few of the Roman campers hustled forward—apparently the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side, the same ones I saw him chumming around with earlier. The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about sixteen. He was cute in a sort of oversized-cuddly-panda-bear way. The girl was younger, maybe thirteen, with golden eyes and chocolate color skin and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.

I could tell from their body language that they felt close to Percy. They stood next to him protectively, like they'd shared many adventures but the girl seemed to have more chemistry with the Asian guy—possibly they're dating, though I suspected they hadn't been together long. As for their chemistry with Percy, it seems more like a sibling way, which I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Percy was the type of guy that will build that kind of bond with those he came to truly trust, which is one of the reasons I loved about him.

But one thing was bothering me: what was that girl staring at? She kept frowning in Piper's and Leo's direction, like one of them looked like someone she knew and the memory was painful.

Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "…tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"

"You're letting these intruders into the _camp_?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks—"

"We're not taking them to camp, Octavian." Reyna lashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here in the forum."

"Oh, _much_ better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer to Reyna as his superior, despite the fact that he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."

"These are our guests." Reyna clipped every word. "We will welcome them, and then we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."

"Good idea," Percy put in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."

Both Reyna and even her sister looked like they were trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."

The officers dispersed. Octavian shot me a look of absolute loathing. Then he gave me a suspicious once-over and stalk away.

Percy slipped his hand into mine. "Don't worry about Octavian," he said. "Most of the Romans are good people—like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. Even Reyna's sister Hylla isn't so bad once she stop threatening lives."

"I heard that!" yelled Reyna's sister: Hylla.

"What I'm trying to say is that we'll be fine," Percy responded.

I felt as if someone had draped a cold washcloth around my neck. I heard that whispering laughter again, as if the presence had followed me from the ship.

I looked up at the _Argo II_. Its massive bronze hull glittered in the sunlight. Part of me wanted to kidnap Percy right now, climb on board, and get out of here while we still could.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong. And there was no way I would ever risk losing Percy again.

Then there's the fact that I'm starting to realize where I heard the names Reyna and Hylla before—they were the name of the sisters who worked for Circe back at Circe's island and I realized that these two were them.

"We'll be fine," I repeated, trying to believe it.

"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason and I thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, I had the Amazons stay a little longer. I just found it weird that Hylla was there for the senate meeting and sometime between the cliff hanger of the Son of Neptune and the beginning of the Mark of Athena she left just as the _Argo II_ was descending. I mean, Reyna said her sister left earlier that morning and yet was there for the Senate meeting. Not to mention I would think Annabeth would of noticed an army of female warriors with battle forklifts leaving if she was looking down at Camp Jupiter.


	3. Annabeth's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part III**

I wished I had an appetite, because the Romans knew how to eat.

At Camp-Half Blood we sat at our cabin assigned tables and eat with our half-siblings whatever food the dryads supplied. If we wanted to hang out with our friends of boyfriends or girlfriends you have to do it either in between training or during Camp Fire. But the Romans clearly don't dine the same way.

Sets of couches and low tables were carted into the forum until it resembled a furniture showroom. Romans lounged in groups of ten or twenty, with some of the Amazon girls mixed with them.

That's right, Amazons.

I was surprise to find out, especially about Hylla being the current Amazonian Queen.

Anyways, wind spirits— _aurae_ —swirled overhead, bringing an endless assortment of pizzas, sandwiches, chips, cold drinks, and fresh baked cookies. Drifting through the crowd were purple ghosts—Lares—in togas and legionnaire armor. Around the edges of the feast, satyrs—I mean fauns—trotted from table to table, panhandling food and spare change. In the nearby fields, the war elephant frolicked with Mrs. O'Leary, and children play tag around the statues of Terminus that lined the city limits.

The whole scene was so familiar yet so completely alien that it gave me vertigo.

All I wanted to do was be with Percy—preferably alone. I knew I would have to wait. If our quest was going to succeed, we needed these Romans, which meant getting to know them and building some goodwill.

Reyna and a few of her officers (including the blond kid Octavian, freshly back from burning teddy bear for the gods), the queen of the amazons herself Hylla, her trusted warrior Kinzie, Percy and his two friends: Frank and Hazel sat with my crew and me.

As a tornado of food platers settled onto the table, Percy leaned over and whispered, "I want to show you around New Rome. Just you and me. It's amazing and I think there might be a future for us and our friends back at Camp Half-Blood here if things go well."

I figured he meant things goes well with this quest. The idea was great, but resentment swelled in my throat over the fact Percy seemed enthusiastic about this place?

I tried not to stare at the new marks on Percy's forarm—an SPQR tattoo like Jason's. At Camp Half-Blood, demigods get beaded necklaces to commemorate years of training. Here, the Romans burned a tattoo into your flesh, as if to say: _You belong to us. Permanently._

I swallowed back some biting comments. "Sounds good."

At that moment, Reyna called a toast to friendship.

After introductions all around, the Romans, the Amazons, and my crew bean exchanging stories. Jason explained how he'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory, and how he'd gone on a quest with Piper and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera (or Juno, take your pick—she was equally annoying in Greek or Roman) from imprisonment at the Wolf House in northern California.

"Impossible!" Octavian broke in. "That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there—"

"They would've destroyed her," Piper said. "And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finished."

Octavian opened his mouth but no sound came out. I really loved Piper's charmspeak. I noticed Reyna looking back and forth between Jason and Piper, her eye brow creased, as if just beginning to realize the two of them were a couple.

Hylla seemed to notice too, but she seemed concern about her sister.

"So," Jason continued, "that's how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. She's still half asleep, but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient lands—Greece itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by… what did he call it? _Pulling up their roots._ "

Percy nodded thoughtfully. "Gaea's been busy over here, too. We had our own encounter with Queen Dirt Face."

Percy recounted his side of the story. He talked about waking up at the Wolf house with no memories except two things: the line the son of Apollo: Halcyon gave him that was later confirmed to be involved with the prophecy of seven and my name: Annabeth.

When I heard that, I had to try hard not to cry. Percy told us about how he'd traveled with Frank and Hazel to Alaska—stopping at Portland to find Hylla at the Amazon HQ and ask her to come here and help the Romans fight the giant army on Reyna's request, and their stop at Frank's family home in Vancouver where they stocked up on weapons in the Zhang mansion's attic for the camp and where Tyson met up with them.

He also talked about how they freed Thantos, how Hazel and Frank defeated Alcyoneus in Alaska while he dealt with shades—spirits of the Fields of Asphodel—who were under Alcyoneus command, and returned to camp with the lost golden eagle standard along with weapons that was left in Alaska during the 1980s expedition to repel the giant army's attack by uniting the divided Roman forces starting with attack plan Macedonia and working their way from there until the Amazons came and helped with coming to the Fourth Cohort along with the veterans and Lares aid who were still fighting at the time.

This gave Percy and Blackjack time to trick Polybotes into chasing after them to where Terminus was so that Percy and Terminus could finish Polybotes off together (although the way I understand it took a lot of persuasion and Polybotes being thick headed enough to anger the God of Boundaries for Terminus and Percy to work together).

When Percy had finished, Jason whistled appreciatively. "No wonder they made you praetor."

Octavian snorted. "Which means we now have _three_ praetors! The rules clearly state we can only have two!"

"On the bright side," Percy said. "My _bro_ Jason _and_ I out rank you, Octavian. So we can _both_ tell you to shut up."

Octavian turned as purple as a Roman T-shirt. Jason gave Percy a fist bump.

"Anyways, if Jason wants his praetorship back, I'm willing to step down. The only reason I accepted the rank was because I told Reyna I would if the Romans raise me by their shields since she was under a lot of pressure with Octavian nagging on her about holding elections for new Praetor by Feast of Fortuna and the invasion," Percy said.

"And I appreciate it," Reyna responded.

I felt a twinge of jealousy at that moment.

"So you're Thalia's long lost brother, huh? I'll admit you're not what I expected in appearance. No offense, but you two look nothing alike."

"None taken. Mostly because I noticed the same thing," Jason said.

"Well, look like her or don't look her, Son of Jupiter or Zeus, Greek or Roman—none of that matters to me, you're Thalia's brother, which means in my book you're my brother too," Percy said. "And I appreciate you keeping Camp Half-Blood safe while was gone. Same goes to you two as well, Piper and Leo. Thanks for what you did to help Jason."

Piper nodded appreciate the thanks. Leo nodded as well, but it looked like his hands were busy with something else.

"Same here," Jason said. "Thanks for helping my camp while I was gone. You did an awesome job and I appreciate you bringing honor back to the Fifth Cohort as well as to Camp Jupiter. And Frank I appreciate you donating your family's stock of weapons to the Camp."

The big kid Frank turned pink when he heard the compliment, and I had the feeling that Frank doesn't always get that kind of appreciation.

Reyna cleared her throat. "I hate to break your brotherly moment we have more serious issues to deal with," Reyna reminded them.

"She's right," I responded. "We should talk about the Great Prophecy. It sounds like the Romans are aware of it too?"

Reyna nodded. "We call it the Prophecy of Seven. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?"

"Of course," he said.

"Recite it, please. In English, not Latin."

"But Reyna—"

"You heard my sister and you Praetor," Hylla said, "Recite it."

Octavian sighed. _"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"_

 _"An oath to keep with final breath,"_ I continued. _"And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."_

Everyone stared at me—except for Leo, who had constructed a pinwheel out of aluminum foil taco wrappers and was sticking it into passing wind spirts.

I wasn't sure why I had blurted out the lines of the prophecy. I just felt compelled. Luckily Percy spoke up for me:

"Annabeth and I was there when our friend and oracle: Rachel recited the prophecy for the first time and it been our minds since," Percy said. "Well, except for the time Juno took my memory."

"That's why you recognized the prophecy at the Temple of Jupiter when Octavian read your auguries," Hazel said, the girl with the cavalry helmet and the long curly hair.

Percy nodded.

The Amazon warrior Kinzie spoke up, "So is it true you're a child of Athena?"

Kinzie acted normal but the Romans shifted at that like it was offensive.

"Yes," I said, "Why is that such a surprise?"

Octavian scoffed. "If you're truly a child of _wisdom_ goddess—"

"Enough," Reyna snapped. "Annabeth is what she says. She's here in peace. Besides…" She gave me a look of respect with hidden grudge in her eyes, "Percy spoke highly of you, and cause of it I accept his terms of seeing him as a brother as well as praetor."

The way Reyna said it seemed that she came to that decision only after a long internal debate about it. At that moment Percy had a sudden interest in his cheeseburger.

My face felt hot. Oh, gods… Reyna had tried to make a move on Percy. But Percy had turned her down and tried to make piece by suggesting a sibling bond instead for my sake.

At that moment, I forgave my boyfriend for anything he did wrong that I know of or not. I wanted to throw my arms around him, but I command myself to stay cool.

"Uh, thanks," I told Reyna, "At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death… that means Romans and Greeks. We have to combine forces to find those doors."

Hazel picked up something next to her plate. It looked like a large ruby; but before I could be sure, Hazel slipped it into the pocket of her denim shirt.

"My brother, Nico, went looking for the doors," she said.

"Wait," I said. "Nico di Angelo? He's your brother?"

Hazel nodded as if this were to be obvious.

"Hazel is the sister Nico was predicted to find for the Prophecy of Seven," Percy said. "He been coming to Camp Jupiter as Ambassador of Pluto in order to keep an eye on her."

"Oh." I realized what Percy really meant. Hazel was the sister Nico was told he would find in the Underworld and brought back to life. I'm guessing since Percy wasn't straight forward with it, the Romans aren't fully aware of Hazel's past. "You were saying Hazel?"

"He disappeared." Hazel moistened her lips. "I'm afraid… I'm not sure, but I think something's happened to him."

"We'll find him," Percy promised. "We have to find the Doors of Death anyway. Thantos told us we'd find both answers in Rome—the _original_ Rome. If I remember correctly, that's on the way to Greece."

"Thantos told you this?" I tried to wrap my mind around _that_ idea. "The death god?"

I met many gods. I'd even been to the Underworld; but Percy's story about freeing the incarnation of death itself really creeped me out.

Percy took a bite of his burger. "Now that Death is free, monsters will disintegrate and return to Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, they'll just keep coming back."

Piper twisted the feather in her hair. "Like water leaking through a dam," she suggested.

"Yeah," Percy smiled. "We've got a dam hole.

"What?" Piper asked.

"Nothing—just an old joke," he said. "The point is we'll have to find the doors and closed them before we can head to Greece. It's the only way we'll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they _stay_ defeated."

Reyna plucked an apple from a passing fruit tray. She turned it in her fingers, studying the dark red surface. "You propose an expedition to Greece on your warship. You do realize that the ancient lands—and the Mare Nostrum—are dangerous?"

"Mary who?" Leo asked.

"Mare Nostrum," Jason explained. _"Our Sea_. It's what the Ancient Romans called the Meditterranean."

Reyna nodded. "The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods. It's also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans and giants… and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America, _there_ it would be ten times worse. That's why it been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there."

"Then we're good!" Leo grinned over the top of his pinwheel. "Because we're all crazy, right? Besides, the _Argo II_ is a top-of-the-line warship, stocked with top-of-the-line Monster repellant. She'll get us through."

"Ha! Monster repellant? There's no such thing," Octavian said.

"Actually there is: Myrmekes Gunk," Leo said.

"The stuff we used to Mask Demigod scent?" Percy asked.

"Yeah!" Leo said, "I discovered if you burn it, the stench increase so much monsters would run away. Heck, even Satyrs can't stand the scent."

"Really?" Percy responded.

"We'll have to hurry," Jason added. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. Plus there might still be Minor Gods out there with grudges against the Olympians who will be willing to work with Gaea."

"If Khione and Aeolus isn't enough," Leo muttered.

"The point is, we have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully," Jason said.

I shuddered as I'd had my own share of nightmares lately.

 _"Seven half-bloods must answer the call,"_ she said. "It needs to be a mix from both our camps. Jason, Piper, Leo, and me. That's four."

"And me," Percy said. "Along with Hazel and Frank. That's seven."

"What?" Octavian shot to his feet. "We're just supposed to _accept_ that? Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate? Without—"

"There isn't anything to debate," Percy argued. "Open your eyes Octavian, the proof is right in front of you that this quest is needed, that the time of Romans and Greeks being enemies needs to end if we're going to win this war."

"Percy!" Tyson bounded toward them with Mrs. O'Leary at his heels. On the hellhound's back sat the skinniest harpy I had ever seen—a sickly-looking girl with stringy red hair, a sackcloth dress, and red feathers.

I had no clue where the harpy had come from, but my heart warmed to see Tyson in his tattered flannel and denim with a sea green Roman robes—that seem to have more peanut butter on it—over his clothes. Percy and I had pretty bad experiences with cyclopes when we were seven, but Tyson was so sweet he warmed both of our hearts. Originally Poseidon led Tyson to Percy on Tyson's request, and after finding out that Tyson was a son of Poseidon—which made him Percy's half-brother—homeless, and been teased and beaten by other monsters, Percy's mom adopted him. Because of it, Percy introduces Tyson as his adopted half-brother—even though he doesn't like to admit that it took his a while to accept Tyson as his brother and not as a threat.

Tyson stopped by our couch and wrung his meaty hands. His big brown eye was full of concern. "Ella is scared," he said.

"N-n-no more boats," the harpy muttered to herself, picking furiously at her feathers, " _Titanic, Lusitania, Pax_ … boats are not for harpies."

Leo squinted. He looked at Hazel, who was seated next to him. "Did that chicken girl just compare _my_ ship to the _Titanic_?"

"She's not a chicken." Hazel averted her eyes, as if Leo made her nervous. "Ella's a harpy. She's just a little… high-strung."

"Ella is pretty," Tyson said. "And scared We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship."

"No ships," Ella repeated. She looked at me. "Bad luck. There she is. Wisdom's daughter walks alone—"

"Ella!" Frank stood suddenly. "Maybe it's not the best time—"

 _"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome,"_ Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice."

"Ella please, not now!" Hazel responded.

Ella just spoke louder.

 _"Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death."_

"Ella, please not here—" Percy continued.

 _"Giant's bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail."_

The effect was like someone dropping a flash grenade on the table. Everyone stared at the harpy. No one spoke and Percy Frank and Hazel looked at each other as if trying to decide what to do now, as if what Ella just said was something they were trying to prevent.

My heart was pounding. _The Mark of Athena_ … I resisted the urge to check my pocket, but I could feel the silver coin growing warmer—the cursed gift from my mother. _Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me._

Around us, the sounds of the feats continued, but muted in the distant, as if our little clustered of couches had slipped into a quieter dimension.

I look back at my boyfriend who seemed to have a silent conversation with his Roman friends that after years of training and learning how to survive I understand.

Hazel had a look that said, _"What about your plan? You said you know someone at the other camp who can help Ella."_

Frank, _Octavian is in shock. Now might be a good time to go through with it._

Percy nodded as he stood up and said. "Tyson, why don't you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs. O'Leary—"

"Hold on." Octavian gripped one of his teddy bears, strangling it with his hands. His eyes fixed on Ella. "What was that she said? It sounded like—"

"Ella reads a lot," Frank blurted out. "We found her at a library."

"Yes!" Hazel said. "Probably just something she read in a book."

"Books." Ella muttered helpfully. "Ella likes books.'

Now that she'd said her piece, the harpy seemed more relaxed she sat cross-legged on Mrs. O'Lear's back, preening her wings.

I understood instantly that Ella just recited a prophecy, and I also realized the friend they were talking about might have been Rachel, our camp Oracle. It would make sense, if anyone can try to make heads or tails out of a prophecy would be the Oracle.

I looked at Percy who gave me a look that said, _I'll explain later when I know Octavian or any of his goons aren't around._

I nodded figuring we couldn't trust Octavian with what ever Percy Hazel and Frank were hiding.

"That was a prophecy," Octavian insisted. "It sounded like a prophecy."

I forced a laugh—deciding to help Percy in the tight situation he got himself into. "Really Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?"

Of course I knew Ella was not stupid. If she did get prophecy from reading or something she must at least have photographic memories. Still my words had the intended effect. The Roman officers laughed nervously. Some sized up Ella, then looked at Octavian and snorted. The idea of the chicken lady issuing prophecies were apparently just as ridiculous to Romans as it would be for the Greeks.

But I also noticed that Reyna and Hylla shared glance real quick, like they knew something most of the Romans didn't, and Ella have a connection to it.

Luckily Octavian didn't notice it. "I, uh…" Octavian dropped his teddy bear. "No, but—"

"She's just spouting lines from some book," I said. "like Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have a _real_ prophecy to worry about.

I turned to Tyson. "Percy's right. Why don't you take Ella and Mrs. O'Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while? Is Ella okay with that?"

"'Large dogs are good,'" Ella said. " _Old Yeller,_ 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."

I wasn't sure how to take that answer, but Percy smiled in agreement.

"Great!" Percy said. "We'll Iris-message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later."

The Romans looked at Reyna, waiting for her ruling. I couldn't help but hold my breath.

After she turned away from her sister, Reyna obviously put up an excellent poker face. She studied Ella, but I couldn't guess what she was thinking.

"Fine," the praetor said at last. "Go!"

"Yay!" Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hug—even Octavia, who didn't look to happy about it. Then again, neither was Hylla or Kinzie, but considering they were Amazons, I was glad they didn't kill the big guy.

Then Tyson climbed on Mrs. O'Leary's back with Ella, and the hellhound bounded out of the forum. They dove straight into a shadow of the Senate House wall and disappeared.

"Well, I guess we should get going too," Hylla said. "As much as I love spending time with my sister, we have to make sure those men back at HQ don't try to overrun our website."

"Website?" I asked.

Hylla nodded. "We owned the Amazon online shopping sight."

"Sure—why not," I responded.

Hylla gave her sister one last hug before she and Kinzie along with other amazons left the forum.

"If I see your sister, I'll tell her about you," Kinzie told Hazel.

Hazel gave Kinzie a grateful smile while trying to hide the concern about it before she left.

"Well," Reyna set down her uneaten apple once the Amazons left. "Even with the Amazons and the Ambassador of Neptune gone, we still need a senate's approval before we let any of our legionaires go on a quest—especially as dangerous as you're suggesting."

"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian grumbled. "That trireme is not a ship of peace!"

"Come aboard, man," Leo offered. "I'll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if you're really good I'll give you a little paper captain's hat to wear."

Octavian's nostrils flared. "How dare you—"

"It's a good idea," Reyna said. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a senate meeting in one hour."

"But…" Octavian stopped. Apparently he could tell from Reyna's expression that further arguing would not be good for his health.

Leo got up. He turned to me, and his smile changed. It happened so quickly, I thought I'd imagined it; but just before a moment someone else seemed to be standing in Leo's place, smiling coldly with a cruel light in his eyes. Then I blinked and Leo as just regular old Leo again, with his usual impish grin.

"Back soon," he promised. "This is gonna be epic."

A horrible chill settled over me. As Leo and Octavian headed for the rope ladder, I thought about calling them back—but how could I explain that? Tell everyone I was going crazy, seeing things and feeling cold?

"Are you okay?" Percy asked me.

"Yeah," I lied, "I'm fine."

Percy didn't seem convinced. In fact he seemed really concern as if knowing I'm lying.

Then again, he probably could tell. We knew each other since we were seven. He knows be better than almost anyone.

"Uh, Reyna," Jason said. "if you don't mind, I'd like to show Piper around before the senate meeting. She's never seen New Rome.

Reyna's expression hardened.

I wonder how Jason could be so dense. Was it possible he really didn't understand how much Reyna like him. It was obvious enough to me. Asking to show his girlfriends around Reyna's city was like rubbing salt in a wound.

"Of course," Reyna said coldly.

Percy took my hand. "Me too. I'd like to show Annabeth around and—"

"No," Reyna snapped. Then she took a deep breath to calm herself. "I mean, I like a few words with Annabeth alone, if you don't mind."

Her tone made it clear she wasn't really asking permission.

The chill spread down my back. I wondered what Reyna was up to. I wondered what she wanted to talk to me about. Whatever it was, I was reluctant to be alone and unarmed with the Roman leader.

Percy seemed to be reluctant to, although judging from his expression it probably was due to his concern about what had me suddenly nervous, but either way he nodded.

"Come, daughter of Athena." Reyna rose from her couch. "Walk with me."


	4. Annabeth's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part IV**

A part of me wanted to hate New Rome. But as an aspiring architect, I couldn't help admiring the terraced gardens the fountains and temples, the winding cobblestone streets and gleaming white villas. After the Titan War last summer, I'd gotten my dream job of redesigning the palaces of Mount Olympus. Now, walking through a miniature city, I kept thinking, _I should have made a dome like that. I love the way those columns lead into that courtyard._ Whoever design New Rome had clearly poured a lot of time and love into the project.

"We have the best architects and builders in the world," Reyna said, as if reading my thoughts. "Rome always did, in the ancient times. Many demigods stay on to live here after their time in the legion. They go to our university. They settle down to raise families. Percy seemed interested in this fact. I think he had hopes for the future for Greeks and Roman demigods here if your quest goes well. Of course that's if they choose to come here. Even in Camp Jupiter, if one of our legionaires decided after ten years of service to leave the protection of this place, we don't stop them, just expect them to help any Roman Demigod that either makes their journey from the Wolf House here or left the camp on a quest. Also by doing that we welcome any of their kids who decides to take the journey."

I guess that made sense. In return of servitude you can leave, but even if you do you're still obligated to help any Roman demigod that ask your help so that your kids can come here. Some parts of it didn't sound right in my opinion, but I didn't argue.

Still I wonder if that means Percy plans to return to Camp Half-Blood until he finish High School, or if he would stay here and serve for the Romans for another nine years.

I must have scowled at the thought of Percy attending Camp Jupiter for another nine years, because Reyna laughed.

"You're a warrior, all right," the praetor said. "You've got fire in your eyes."

"Sorry." I tried to tone down my glare.

"Don't be. I'm the daughter of Bellona."

"Roman goddess of war?"

Reyna nodded. She turned and whistled like she was hailing a cab. A moment later, two met metal dogs raced toward us—automaton greyhounds, one silver and one gold. They brushed against Reyna's legs and regarded me with glistening ruby eyes.

"My pets," Reyna explained. "Aurum and Argentum. You don't mind if they walk with us?"

Again, I got the feeling it wasn't really a request. I noted that the greyhounds ad teeth like steel arrowheads. Maybe weapons weren't allowed inside the city, but Reyna's pets could still tear me to pieces if they chose.

Reyna led me to an outdoor café, where the waiter clearly knew her. He smiled and handed her a to go cup, then offered one to me.

"Would you like some?" Reyna asked. "They make wonderful hot chocolate. Not really a Roman drink—"

"But chocolate is universal," I said.

"Exactly."

It was a warm June afternoon, but I accepted the cup with thanks. The two of us walked on, Reyna's gold and silver dogs roaming nearby.

"In our camp," Reyna said. "Athena is Minerva. Are you familiar how her Roman form is different?"

I never really thought about it. I remembered the way Terminus had called Athena _that_ goddess, as if she were scandalous. Octavian had acted like my very existence was an insult.

"I take it Minerva isn't… uh, quite respected here?"

Reyna blew the steam from her cup. "We _respect_ Minerva. She's the goddess of crafts and wisdom… but she isn't really a goddess of war. Not for Romans. She's also a maiden goddess, like Diana… the one you call Artemis. You won't find any children of Minerva here. The idea that Minerva would _have_ children—frankly, it's a little shocking to us.

"Oh." I felt my face flush. I didn't want to get into the details of Athena's children—how we were born straight from the mind of the goddess, just as Athena herself had sprung from the head of Zeus. Talking about that always made me feel self-conscious, like I was some sort of freak. People usually asked me whether or not I had a belly button since I had been born magically. _Of course_ I had a belly button. I couldn't explain how. I didn't really want to know.

"I understand that you Greeks don't see things the same way, or that perhaps Athena found her own way of having children," Reyna continued. "But Romans take vows of maidenhood very seriously. The Vestal Virgins, for instance… if they broke their vows and fell in love with anyone, they would be buried alive. So the idea that a maiden goddess would have children—"

"Got it." My hot chocolate suddenly tasted like dust. No wonder the Romans had been giving me strange looks. But by the sounds of it Reyna figured that Athena might have found a way around it. "I'm not supposed to exist. And even if Minerva found another way to have children—"

"They wouldn't be like you," Reyna said. "They might be craftsmen, artists, maybe advisors, but not warriors. Not leaders of dangerous quests."

I started to object that I wasn't the leader of the quest. Not officially. But I wonder if my friends on the _Argo II_ would agree. At I thought my part of the Great Prophecy would the battle strategist—coming up with strategies that would best suit for the group. But the past few days my friends and been looking to me for orders—even Jason, who could have pulled rank as son of Jupiter, and Coach Hedge, who didn't take orders from anyone.

"There's more." Reyna snapped her fingers, and her golden dog, Aurum, trotted over. The praetor stroked his ears. "The harpy Ella… it _was_ a prophecy she spoke. We both know that, don't we?"

I swallowed. Something about Aurum's ruby eyes made me uneasy. I had heard that dogs could smell fear, even detect changes in a human's breathing and heartbeat. I didn't know if that applied to magical metal dogs, but I decided it would be best to tell the truth.

"It sounded like a prophecy," I admitted. "But I've never met Ella before today, and I've never heard those lines exactly."

"I have," Reyna murmured. "At least some of them—"

A few yards away, the silver dog barked. A group of children spilled out of a nearby alleyway and gathered around Argentum, petting the dog and laughing, unfazed by its razor-sharp teeth.

"We should move on," Reyna said.

We wound our way up the hill. The grey hounds followed leaving the children behind. I kept glancing at Reyna's face. I was sure I met her back at Circe's island.

"We met at Circe's island didn't we?" I asked. "Four years ago."

Reyna gave me a dry smile. "That's right. Percy didn't remember me at first. Of course the only times we met were briefly. You mostly talked to my sister Hylla. At any rate, I was a handmaiden, and Percy saved both of us from the pirates you released."

I nodded as I remember the trip to the island of the sorceress. Percy and I were thirteen, and we had washed ashore from the Sea of Monsters. Hylla had welcomed us. She had helped me get cleaned up and given me a beautiful new dress and a complete makeover. Then Circe had made her sales pitch: if I stayed on the island I could have magical training and incredible power. I had been tempted, maybe just a little, until I realized the place was a trap, and Percy had been turned into a guinea pig. (That last part was funny afterward; but at the time, it had been terrifying. Not to mention Percy made a cute Guinea pig.) As for Reyna… she'd been one of the servants wo had combed my hair.

Anyways, after we accidentally released pirates on the island, we ran past Hylla and Reyna as they were cornered by pirates, and Percy saved them and let them escaped.

"You were brave," Reyna admitted. "I'd never seen anyone refuse Circe's hospitality, much less outwit her. It's no wonder Percy cares for you."

She sounded wistful, like she had hopes to have someone like that for a boyfriend.

"Don't take me wrong," Reyna said noticing my reaction, "I accepted the idea of calling Percy a brother even if he does back down from Praetorship for Jason, and I don't plan to take him away from you."

"I appreciate that," I responded.

We reached the top of the hill, where a terrace overlooked the entire valley.

"This is my favorite spot," Reyna said. "The Garden of Bacchus."

Grapevine trellises made a canopy overhead. Bees buzzed through honeysuckle and jasmine, which filled the afternoon air with a dizzying mix of perfumes. In the middle of the terrace stood a statue of Bacchus in a sort of ballet position, wearing nothing but a loincloth, his cheeks puffed out and lips pursed, spouting water into a fountain.

Despite my worries, I almost laughed. I knew the god in his Greek form, Dionysus—or Mr. D, as they called him back to Camp-Half-Blood. Seeing their cranky old camp director immobilized in stone, wearing a diaper and spewing water from his mouth, made me feel a little better.

Once I trust myself to speak up I said, "We have a garden planted in Camp Half-Blood that campers sometimes spend time at too, but ours is dedicated to Persephone for her help in the last Titan war," I explained, "We even call it the _Garden of Persephone II_."

"I didn't think the Greeks had that many monuments to Minor gods," Reyna said.

"We didn't at first." I explained about how Hestia use to be the only one with a monument—with her Hearth that until last summer no one realized it was built for her—much less a cabin and how Minor Gods Kids were stuffed into Hermes' Cabin, but after the Titan War, Percy got the Olympian's approval to start building cabins for Minor gods with demigod kids and some kind of monuments for those that don't.

Persephone got a garden in her honor at camp, and Hestia got a plaque added to her hearth so people know the Hearth is to honor her—which we had to rebuild last winter after Jason's little display of power that destroyed it (long story).

Of course after the incident Jason Piper and Leo had with Khione and Aeolus, I did realized we still have a long way to go into making sure all minor gods and Lords were respected.

Reyna nodded in approval. She walked over to the edge of the terrace. The view was worth the climb. The whole city spread out below us like a 3-D mosaic. To the south, beyond the lake, a cluster of temples perched on a hill. To the north, an aqueduct marched toward the Berkeley Hills. Work crews were repairing a broken section, probably damaged in the recent battle.

"The reason I brought you here was to hear the truth from you. For you to convince me that I'm not making a mistake by trusting you, and to hopefully learn about Camp Half-Blood," Reyna said. "Your friend Piper has sorcery in her words. I spent enough time with Circe to know charmspeak when I hear it. Until I know I can trust her, I can't trust what she says. And Jason… well, he has changed. He seems distant, no longer quite Roman."

The hurt in her voice was as sharp as broken glass. I wondered if _I_ had sounded that way during the time I searched for Percy. At least I'd found my boyfriend. Reyna had no one. She was responsible for running an entire camp all by herself. I could sense that Reyna wanted Jason to love her. But he disappeared, only to come back with a new girlfriend. Meanwhile Percy had risen to praetor, and although Reyna accepted his offer to have a sibling relationship—seeing each other as brother and sister (which I'm starting to respect), it still doesn't change the fact that Reyna was still alone and as soon as Percy and Jason leave for the quest, she be left shouldering a job meant for two people.

I decided it might be best to tell her more about myself to get her trust.

I told her about my dad and stepmom and my two half-brothers in San Francisco—which I mention we only moved there from Virginia two years ago and wasn't aware of Camp Jupiter until we found Jason. I brought up how I felt like an outsider in my own family.

I talked about how I run away from home when I was seven, how Percy found me during his travels with Luke and Thalia. When I brought up how I was so scared I mistaken Percy for a monster when he found me and I tried to whack him with a hammer, Reyna suppressed a smile which I took as she understood why I reacted the way I did.

I told her of our journey on bringing Percy home to his mother in Manhattan, and how Sally Jackson took Luke Thalia and me, and then when it came clear we weren't safe staying at the Jackson Family apartment she arranged us an escort to Camp Half-Blood and our journey there.

I told her about Percy and me growing up in camp, how we visited Mount Olympus every winter solstice and the gods voting to kill or save Percy every year because of the first Great Prophecy we had that turn out to involve the Titan War and how a child of the Big Three. I mention all the adventures we had and how Percy and I kept showing off the good outcomes of when a child of Athena and child of Poseidon do work together.

I brought up how I came home for one semester after my dad convince me how sorry he was, only to return to Camp before the semester was over due to my step mom and I arguing. Then how Percy went home to start the sixth grade after five years of training, and the following year, with much persuasion, I decided to give my dad another chance.

Reyna was a good listener.

I was tempted to tell her about more recent problems: my fight with my mom, the gift of the silver coin, and the nightmares I'd been having—about an old fear so paralyzing, I'd almost decided that I couldn't go on this quest. But I couldn't bring myself to open up quite that much.

When I was done talking, Reyna gazed over New Rome. Her metal greyhounds sniffed around the garden, snapping bees in the honeysuckle. Finally, Reyna pointed to the cluster of temples on the distant hill.

"The small red building," she said. "there on the northern side? That's the temple of my mother, Bellona." Reyna turned toward me. "Unlike your mother, Bellona has no Greek equivalent. She is fully, truly Roman. She's the goddess of protecting the homeland."

I said nothing. I knew very little about the Roman goddess. I wish I had studied up, but Latin never came as easily to me as Greek. Down below, the hull of the _Argo II_ gleamed as it floated over the forum, like some massive bronze party balloon.

"When the Romans go to war," Reyna continued. "we first visit the Temple of Bellona. Inside is a symbolic patch of ground that represents enemy soil. We throw a spear into that ground, indicating that we are now at war. You see, Romans have always believed that offense is the best defense. In ancient times, whenever our ancestors felt threatened by our neighbors, they would invade to protect themselves.

"They conquered everyone around them," I said. "Carthage, the Gauls—"

"And the Greeks." Reyna let that comment hang. "My point, Annabeth, is that it isn't Rome's nature to cooperate with other powers. Every time Greek and Roman demigods have met, we've fought. Conflicts between our two sides have started some of the most horrible wars in human history—especially the civil wars."

"It doesn't have to be that way," I said. "We've got to work together, or Gaea will destroy us both."

"I agree," Reyna said. "But is cooperation possible? What if Juno's plan is flawed? Even goddesses can make mistakes."

I waited for Reyna to get struck by lightning or turned into a peacock. Nothing happened.

Unfortunately, I shared Reyna's doubts. Hera _did_ make mistakes. I had had nothing but trouble with that overbearing goddess, and I'd never forgive Hera for taking Percy away, even if it was for a noble cause.

'I don't trust the goddess," I admitted. "But I do trust my friend. This isn't a trick, Reyna. We _can_ work together."

Reyna finished her cup of chocolate. She set the cup on the terrace railing and gazed over the valley as if imagining battle lines.

"I believe you mean it," she said. "But if you go to the ancient lands, especially Rome itself, there is something you should know about your mother."

My shoulders tensed. "My—my mother?"

"When I lived on Circe's island," Reyna said, "we had many visitors. Once, perhaps a year before you and Percy arrived, a young man washed ashore. He was half mad from thirst and heat. He'd been drifting at sea for days. His words didn't make much sense, but he said he was a son of Athena."

Reyna paused as if waiting for a reaction. I had no idea who the boy might be. I wasn't even aware that there were other Athena's kids who'd gone on a quest in the Sea of Monsters, but still I felt a sense of dread. The light filtering through the grapevines made shadows writhe across the ground like a swarm of bugs.

"What happened to this demigod?" I asked.

Reyna waved her hand as if the question was trivial. "Circe turned him into a guinea pig and placed him in the cage where we kept Blackbeard and is crew. Sorry to say since he didn't have time to recover, he didn't stand a chance. "But _before_ that, he kept raving about his failed quest. He claimed that he'd gone to Rome following the Mark of Athena."

I grabbed the railing to keep my balance.

"Yes," Reyna said, seeing my discomfort. "He kept muttering about wisdom's child, the Mark of Athena, and the Giant's bane standing pale and gold. The same lines Ella was just reciting."

"Hylla heard it too?" I asked.

Reyna nodded. "But you say that you've never heard them before today?"

"Not—not the way Ella said them." My voice was weak. I wasn't lying. I'd never heard that prophecy, but my mother had charge her with following the Mark of Athena and as she thought about the coin in her pocket, a horrible suspicion began taking root in my mind. I remember my mother's scathing words. I thought about the strange nightmares I'd been having lately. "Did this demigod—did he explain his quest?"

Reyna shook her head. "At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about. Much later, when I became praetor of Camp Jupiter, I began to suspect."

"Suspect what?"

"There is an old legend that the praetors of Camp Jupiter have passed down through the centuries. If it's true, it may explain why our two groups of demigods have never been able to work together. It may be the cause of our animosity. Until this old score is finally settled, so the legend goes, Romans and Greeks will never be at peace. And the legend centers on Athena—"

A shrill sound pieced the air. Light flashed in the corner of my eye.

I turned to see an explosion blast a new crater in the forum. A burning couch tumbled through the air. Demigods scattered in panic.

"Giants?" I reached for my dagger, which of course wasn't there. "I thought their army was defeated!"

"It isn't the giants." Reyna's eyes seethed with rage. "You betrayed our trust."

"What? No!"

As soon as I said that, the _Argo II_ launched a second volley. Its port ballista fired a massive spear wreathed in Greek fire, which sailed straight through the broken dome of the Senate House and exploded inside, lighting up the building like a jack-o'-lantern. If anyone had been there…

"Gods no." A wave of nausea almost made my knees buckle. "Reyna, it isn't possible. We'd never do this! Gaea must be behind this somehow."

The metal dogs ran to their mistress' side. They snarled at me but paced uncertainly, as if reluctant to attack.

"I know you're telling the truth," Reyna judged. "Perhaps you're not aware of this treachery or Gaea is somehow indirectly behind this, but until certainty someone must pay."

Down in the forum chaos was spreading. Crowds were pushing and shoving Fistfights were breaking out.

"Bloodshed," Reyna said. "We have to stop it!"

"Annabeth! Reyna!"

Blackjack was flew down with Percy on him. He must have been outside the camp checking on Blackjack because he had his thermos on him.

"What's going on? I was only outside the camp for a few minutes and this started," Percy said.

"I don't know," I responded, "We're as surprised as you are."

"Go with him, find your friends and try to figure out what happened. I'll see what I can do to stop the bloodshed," Reyna responded. "Hopefully we can stop another civil war before it starts."

I nodded. I raced over to Percy who helped me up onto Blackjack.

"We should check on Jason Piper Frank and Hazel," I told Percy.

"Right," Percy responded. "Let's go Blackjack!"

…

If weapons had been allowed in the city, my friends would have been dead. The Roman demigods in the forum had coalesced into an angry mob. Some threw plates, food, and rocks at the _Argo II,_ which as pointless as most of the stuff fell back to the crowd.

During the chaos the fauns had also taken advantage and swarmed the dining tables grabbing food and drinks.

Terminus exploded right into being and started yelling at Percy and me… mostly at me in Latin.

In the distance armed legionnaires were hurrying toward the forum with catapults.

When they saw Percy and me on Blackjack they started throwing stuff at us. I realized Percy kept the Curse of Achilles because anything that hit him bounced off his skin harmlessly.

Luckily Blackjack decided to fly higher to prevent any lucky attacks, or Percy mentally told him. Either way, after that the Romans couldn't get any more hits.

"There's Jason and Piper!" I responded I pointed to the crowd, "Oh no…"

Several Romans had surrounded Piper and Jason, who were trying to calm them without much luck. Piper's charmspeak was useless against so many screaming, angry demigods. Jason's forehead was bleeding. His purple cloak had been ripped to shreds. He kept pleading, "I'm on your side!" but his orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt didn't help in the matters—nor did the warship overhead. Firing spears into New Rome. One landed nearby and blasted a toga shop to rubble.

"We need to find Frank and Hazel," Percy said.

"What?" I asked.

"If we have to make an emergency leave. Blackjack can't carry everyone, but with Frank's powers and Hazel can get to Arion, I think we can get everyone out of here in one piece," Percy said.

"We should inform Jason," I said. "He could control the winds so he could fly and carry Piper."

"Seriously? I don't remember Thalia being able to do that," Percy said.

I shrugged. "I don't know how, but he can."

Percy nodded. "Blackjack soar down to Jason down there."

Blackjack must have complained because Percy said, "Just do it!"

Blackjack flew down toward Jason and Piper.

"Jason! Piper! Go ahead to the _Argo II_. Find out what happened to Leo!" I yelled as loud as I could, "Percy and I are going to search for Hazel and Frank!"

Jason and Piper must have heard me because they nodded.

Blackjack flew up quickly before Romans manage to hit us with bricks.

Just then another explosion rocked the area. This time the flash of light was directly overhead. One of the Roman catapults had fired, and the _Argo II_ groaned and tilted sideways flames bubbling over its bronze plated hull.

I noticed a figure clinging desperately to the rope ladder, trying to climb down. It was Octavian, his robes steaming and his face black with soot.

"The Greeks have _fired_ on us! The Greek Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!" Octavian yelled.

At that moment Jason—who was using the wind to flying while carrying Piper until they grabbed onto the rope. Octavian was about to strike back but Piper must of used her charmspeak as he hesitated before letting go of the rope and fell to the ground bellow.

Still, after hearing what Octavian said. My chest filled with liquid hydrogen. I felt like I might shatter into a million pieces.

"Leo couldn't—he wouldn't—" I said.

"We'll figure it out later, Annabeth, but first we need to find Frank and Hazel," Percy said.

I nodded.

We found Frank and Hazel at the fountain, trying to stay out of the battle. But they look like they were in a verge of doing something

"Frank Hazel!" Percy yelled.

"Percy, what's going on?" Frank asked.

"We don't know, but if we'll have to take an emergency leave," I responded.

"Hazel, can you call Arion over?" Percy asked.

"Sure thing!" Hazel responded.

The firing from the Argo II stopped which mean Piper and Jason must have gotten control over Leo.

"Now!" Octavian yelled, who survived the fall, "Kill the invaders!"

"We better go!" Hazel said. "Arion!"

The Romans started swarming us.

In a tan blur a stallion seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

"Whoa!" I responded.

"Frank go with them!" Hazel said.

"What?" Frank asked.

"Percy and Annabeth might need your family gift to make sure none of the Romans attack them," Hazel said. "I'll be fine on Arion. Just Iris message me when you guys find a safe place to meet up."

Frank nodded.

"Family gift?" I asked.

"Watch," Percy said.

Frank then seem to have change shape as he transformed into a large Komodo Lizard with leathery wings.

"What the…" I responded.

"Along with being a son of Mars, Frank has the gift of Periclymenus of the Argonauts," Percy explained. "Why do you think his family had an attic full of weapons?"

I nodded as Percy had Blackjack turned around and head for the ship.

I looked back to see that Hazel and her horse was already zipping through Roman Ranks while Frank stayed on the ground, scaring away Romans as we got closer to the ship. Then once he was sure the Romans wouldn't be able to reach us and started flying toward us.

Blackjack landed on the deck of the ship where Jason and Piper were binding Leo who was asleep.

"We had to knock him out to prevent any more attacks," Jason said, we're just taking precautions just in case."

"He wasn't himself," Piper said. "The way he was acting—it was as if someone else was speaking through him."

Frank soared into view, circled the ship and landed at the bow, before transforming back to human form. Down bellow, Hazel and Arion was a blur as thy raced away from Romans.

"Annabeth, can you get this ship moving?" Percy asked.

I nodded "I should be able to."

"Then go!"

I nodded and ran for the helm. I looked over the controls which looked complicated even for me. Dang it Leo! Couldn't you made it simple. No time for fancy maneuvers I did one basic command: _Up._

I grabbed the aviation throttle and yank it straight back. The ship groaned. The bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the _Argo II_ shot into the clouds.

* * *

 **A/N:** If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position.

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group)

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

This will be moved up to the top of the page in the next chapter


	5. Leo's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other.

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part I**

I wish I could invent a time machine. I'd go back two hours and undo what had happened. Either that, or I could invent a Slap-Leo-in-the-Face machine to punish myself, though I doubt it would hurt as badly as the look Annabeth been giving me.

"One more time," she said. "Exactly _what_ happened?

I slumped against the mast. My head still throbbed from when Jason knocked me out (not that I blame him). All around me, my beautiful new ship was in shambles. The aft crossbows were piles of kindling. The foresail was tattered. The satellite array that powered the onboard Internet and TV was blown to bits, which really made Coach Hedge mad. Our bronze dragon head, Festus was coughing up smoke like he had a hairball, and I could tell from the groaning sounds on the port side that some of the aerial oars had either been knocked out of alignment or broken off completely, which explain why the ship was listing and shuddering as it flew, the engine wheezing like an asthmatic steam train.

He choked back a sob. "I don't know. It's fuzzy."

Too many people were looking at me: Annabeth (I _hated_ to make her angry; that girl scares me), Annabeth's boyfriend Percy—who had send his pegasus who knows where when I regain conscious—is giving a glare resembles how a wolf glares at anything that angers it (Percy is starting to scare me as much as Annabeth does when she's angry), Jason and Piper who weren't glaring me down as much, but they did seem concern, Coach Hedge with his furry goat legs, his polo shirt, and his baseball bat (did he have to carry that everywhere?), and the newcomer, Frank.

I wasn't sure what to make of Frank. He looked like a baby sumo wrestler, though I wasn't stupid enough to say that a loud. My memory might be hazy, but after Jason and Piper bound me for mine and everyone else's safety (not that I blame them) I regained enough conscious to see a dragon landing on the ship and turned into Frank.

The only one not here was the other newcomer Hazel, but from what I understand, she is following us on a horse.

Annabeth crossed her arms. "You mean you don't remember?"

"I…" I felt like I was trying to swallow a marble. "I remember, but it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."

"He did seem not like himself," Jason told the others.

"I know, I'm just crossing out any possibility," Annabeth said. "We can't risk another incident."

Coach Hedge tapped his bat against the deck. In his gym clothes, with his cap pulled over his horns, he looked just like he used to at Wilderness School, where he'd spent a year undercover as Jason's Piper's and my P.E. teacher. Okay, not really Jason's since Hera had him magically teleported into our boss with no memories and gave Piper and me fake memories of him, but I still like to think Jason and I are friends because of those fake memories. Anyways, the way the old satyr was glowering, I almost wondered if the coach was going to order me to do push-ups.

"Look, kid," Hedge said, "you blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans! Awesome! Excellent! But did you _have_ to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match."

"Coach," Annabeth said, "why don't you make sure all the fires are out?"

"But I already did that."

"Do it again."

The satyr trudged off, muttering under his breath. Even Hedge wasn't crazy enough to defy Annabeth.

"How is it he's our chaperone again?" Percy asked.

"He volunteered," Piper said, although the way she said it, you would think there was more to it.

Annabeth knelt next to me. Her gray eyes were as steely as ball bearings. Her blond hair fell loose around her shoulders. Even if her boyfriend wasn't right there watching me, I wouldn't flirt with Annabeth anyways. Ever since I met Annabeth at the Grand Canyon last winter, when she marched toward me with that _Give me Percy Jackson or I'll kill you expression,_ I got a new perspectives of blondes being smart and dangerous instead of the stereotype of dumb and giggly.

"Leo, this is important. What exactly happened that made you attack New Rome?" Annabeth asked. "Did Octavian trick you somehow?"

"No," I replied. "The guy was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the camp. I don't know what happened exactly. All I know is that when it happened, I _felt_ like something was making me want to attack the Camp. There was this cold feeling inside me—"

"A cold feeling." Annabeth's tone changed. She sounded almost… scared.

"Yeah," I said. "Why?"

"Annabeth, what is it?" Percy asked.

"I don't know exactly but—" Annabeth sighed. "Ever since we left Camp Half-Blood, I been feeling a cold presence, as if some invisible force was trying to sway my decisions."

"You never told anyone?" Frank asked.

"I didn't think much of it… I thought it was just my nerves or something," Annabeth said.

"Whatever the reason is, now that we're aware of it, we should take extra precautions," Jason said.

Annabeth nodded. "We should contact Chiron and let him know what happened," Annabeth said, "He might have some ideas of what possessed Leo into attacking the camp."

"I should also contact Tyson to let him know it's not safe to return to Camp Jupiter," Percy said. "We also going to need to find a rendezvous point for Hazel."

"That's great and all, but can someone please untie me?" I asked.

Piper did cut the ropes that bound me.

"Okay, Percy and I will handle the Iris messaging. Leo, you should check with Festus on any conditions of the ship we missed,"

"Piper and I will go check around to see if we can find a new sail for the foresail," Jason said.

"Great, meanwhile I'll check Festus for any extensive damage we missed," I said.

"Sounds good. Frank, you stay with him," Annabeth said. "Once we got a rendezvous point picked out we'll Iris-Message Hazel."

Frank grunted in approval. Great, just what I need.

"I think I speak for all of us here when I say if any of us feel that cold feeling Leo and Annabeth described to report immediately," Percy said. "The last thing any of us need is for one of us to be forced into killing the others."

"No arguments there," Jason agreed.

Everyone split up to do what we planned to do, except for Frank and me, who stayed on deck. The big dude looked pretty odd in his bedsheet toga, with his gray pullover hoodie and jeans, and a bow and quiver from the ship's armory slung over his shoulder. I remembered the time I had met the Hunters of Artemis—a bunch of cute lithe girls in silvery clothes, all armed with bows. I imagined Frank frolicking along with them. The idea was so ridiculous, it almost made me feel better.

"So," Frank said. "Your name isn't Sammy"

I scowled. "What kind of question is that?"

"Nothing," Frank said quickly. "About firing on the camp… Maybe Octavian is somehow behind it. Or perhaps Gaea since she seem to have influence on many monsters no matter what domain they have powers in."

"I can believe that," I agreed. Which was true.

Last winter Jason Piper and I were almost killed multiple times by the snow goddess Khione who agreed to work with Gaea, and at one time by the Lord of the Winds Aeolus who was also influenced by the Earth Goddess. She even tried to gain control over Piper by letting her sons use Piper's dad as a hostage.

"Come on," I said. "We should talk to Festus and get a damage report."

"Who is Festus anyways?" Frank asked.

"My friend," I said. "His name isn't Sammy either, in case you're wondering. Come on. I'll introduce you."

…

Fortunately, the bronze dragon wasn't damage. Well, aside from the fact that last winter he'd lost everything except for the head—but I didn't count that. There was even still the carved message on the back of his head that I left for my brother Beckendorf—short simple yet effective words: _Still alive, Keep safe, and Bunker Nine_.

I could have found a way to have that message removed, but I kept it as Festus' own trophy of war for what he did for us as a dragon and is doing for us now as the _Argo II_ Head mast and as a reminder to myself that no matter how damage Festus can get, as long as there's a single part I can still use in the future, Festus can still be recycled and be used again. Only a part of me wish for that to never happened again.

When we reached the bow of the ship, the figurehead turned a hundred and eighty degrees and looked at us. Frank yelped and backed away.

"It's alive!" he said.

I would have laughed if I hadn't felt so bad. "Yeah. Frank, this is Festus. He used to be a full bronze dragon who use to protect our camp until I inherited him for Jason's Piper's and my quest to free Hera and we had an accident."

"You have a lot of accidents," Frank noted.

"Well some of us can't turn into dragons, so we have to build our own." I arched my eyebrows at Frank. "Anyways, I revived him as a figurehead. He's kind of the ship's main interface now. How are things looking, Festus?"

Festus snorted smoke and made a series of squeaking, and whirring sounds. Over the last few months, I had learned to interpret this machine language. Other demigods could understand Latin and Greek. I could speak Creak and Squeak. Although from what Festus is telling me, I'm starting to wish I can't.

"Ugh," I said. "Could be worse, but the hull is compromise in several places. The port aerial oars have to be fixed before we can go full speed again. We'll need some repair materials: Celestial bronze, tar, lime—"

What do you need limes for?"

"Dude, _lime_. Calcium carbonate, used in cement and a bunch of other—Ah, never mind. The point is, this ship isn't going far unless we can fix it."

Festus made another click-creak noise that I didn't recognized at first. It sounded like _AY-zuhl_.

"Oh… _Hazel_ ," I finally decipher. "That's your girlfriend with the curly hair, right?"

"Yes," Frank gulped. "Is she okay?"

Frank didn't convinced but I decided to answer his question.

"Yeah, she's fine," I said. "According to Festus, her horse is still racing along below following us. Which reminds me, we need to make a rendezvous point, especially since the next time we land we won't be able to lift off again until we repair."

Frank scratched his head. "Where do you get Celestial bronze? You can't just stock up at Home Depot."

"Festus, do a scan."

"He can scan for magic bronze?" Frank marveled. "Is there anything he can't do?"

I thought: _You should've seen him when he had a body._ But I didn't say that as it was still painful.

I peered over the ship's bow. The Central California valley was passing below. I didn't hold out much hope we could find what needed all in one place. At least, not in a place where we'll be allowed to grab the supplies and go. Especially since I want to get away from the Romans.

Behind us, Percy and Annabeth showed up with grim faces. Although Percy seemed to be a little more relax despite being so grimmed.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah! We told Tyson to take Ella to Camp Half-Blood, and when we contacted Chiron he was glad too see me safe," Percy said.

"I take it there's a but though?" Frank asked.

Annabeth nodded. "We still have no clue what possessed Leo to attack the Romans. Chiron says there's many possibilities, but none of them are good."

"Too top that off, Chiron fears that since the Romans think Leo attacked them, war would be declared," Percy said. "Which means until things are settled, any hope we have for the gods to help us fight the giants has diminished."

"How?" I asked.

"Chiron wouldn't say, but we have a feeling it has something to do with most of the gods having both a Greek and Roman forms each with their own personality," Annabeth said.

"Which means that will most likely include our own parents and any other god or goddess that is still loyal to Olympus."

"But that can be a good thing, right? I mean that means Gaea's forces would also be limited," I said.

Annabeth shook her head. "I doubt it's that simple Leo. I'm sure Gaea has planned for this and had wisely made alliances with minor gods who still have grudges but wouldn't be affected by the war."

"Like the gods who weren't accepted by both cultures and is either Greek or Roman," Percy said.

"So our find minor gods who aren't affected by the war and is still loyal to Olympus," Frank responded.

"As for now, we have to regroup and make a plan," Annabeth said. "What's the situation with the ship.

I told Annabeth about the damage and the supplies we needed.

"I don't know about the rest of the supplies, but there is one place we might find Celestial Bronze but the place is very dangerous," Percy said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's called the Junk Yard of the Gods—it's currently located in Nevada a few miles east from Hoover Dam," Percy said. "It's full of scraps and junk the gods threw out. The only problem is, the Junkyard is protected under Hephaestus—and I guess Vulcan as well—and war or no war between Greeks and Romans, I don't think either one takes too lightly to people messing with their stuff. I wouldn't be surprise if he added new security since I was last there."

Judging from Percy's expression, he wasn't kidding, but either way I can understand why my own dad would be that way. I wouldn't like my stuff being mess around with or taken behind my back either.

"Let's save that as a back-up plan then incase Festus can't find a place to find all the stuff we needed," I suggested.

Fortunately, at that moment, Festus began to whir and squeak.

"Perfect." I sighed with relief.

"What's perfect?" I said. "I could use some _perfect_ about now."

I managed a smile. "Everything we need in one place and it's not at the Junkyard of the Gods. Frank, why don't you turn into a bird or something? Fly down and tell your girlfriend to meet us at the Great Salt Lake in Utah."

…

Once we got there, it wasn't a pretty landing. Jason and Piper found a spare sail for the foremast, but with the oars damaged, it still was a hassle to control the descent. For safety, everyone else strapped themselves in below—except for Coach Hedge, who insisted on clinging to the forward rail, yelling, "YEAH! Bring it on, lake!" I stood astern, alone at the helm, and aimed as best as I could.

I wished I had time to take in the scenery. To the southeast, a city was nestled in the foothills of a mountain range, blue and purple in the afternoon shadows. A flat desert landscape spread to the south. Directly beneath us the Great Salt Lake glittered like aluminum foil, the shoreline etched with white salt marshes that reminded me of aerial photos of the planet Mars.

"Hang on, Coach!" I shouted.

 _WHOOM!_ A swell of salt water washed over the bow, dousing Coach Hedge. At first the _Argo II_ listed dangerously to starboard before righted itself and rocked on the surface of the lake. Machinery hummed as the aerial blades that were still working changed to nautical form.

Three banks of robotic oars dipped into the water and began moving us forward.

"Good job Festus," I said to the intercom that link to the mast head. "Take us toward the south shore."

"Yeah!" Coach Hedge pumped his fists in the air. He was drenched from his horns to hooves, but grinning like a crazy goat. "Do it again!"

"Uh… maybe later," I said. "Just stay above deck, okay? You can keep watch, in case—you know, the lake decides to attack us or something."

"On it," Hedge promised.

I rang the _All clear_ bell and headed for the stairs. Before I got there, a loud _clump-clump-clump_ shook the hull. A tan stallion appeared on the deck with Hazel Levesque on his on his back.

"How—?" my question died in my throat. "We're in the middle of the lake! Can that thing fly?"

The horse whinnied angrily.

"Arion can't fly," Hazel said. "But he can run across just about anything. Water, vertical surfaces, small mountains—none of that bothers him."

"Oh."

Hazel was looking at me strangely, the way she had during the feast in the forum—like she was searching for something in my face. I was tempted to ask if we had met before, but I was sure we hadn't. I would remember a pretty girl paying such close attention to me. That didn't happen a lot.

 _She's Frank's girlfriend,_ I reminded myself.

Frank was still below, but I almost wished the big guy would come up the stairs. The way Hazel was studying me feel uneasy and self-conscious.

Coach Hedge crept forward with his baseball bat, eyeing the magic horse suspiciously. "Valdez, does this count as an invasion!"

"No!" I said. "Uh, Hazel, you better come with me. I built a stable below decks, if Arion wants to—"

"He's more of a free spirit." Hazel slipped out of the saddle. "He'll graze around the lake until I call him. But I want to see the ship. Lead the way."

…

The _Argo II_ was designed like an ancient trireme, only twice as big. The first deck had one central corridor with crew cabins on either side. On a normal trireme, most of the space would have been taken up with three rows of benches for a few hundred sweaty guys to do the manual labor, but my oars were automaton and retractable, so they took up very little room inside the hull.

The ship's power came from the engine room—mostly a machine that is powered by a machine called a gyro-valve and mixes a deadly combination of Lemos fire from my dad Hephaestus' forge and water from the Styx very carefully thanks to the syncopator otherwise the _Argo II_ and anything else within the one-mile radius will be destroyed in a massive explosion. I was worried about it considering I had to put it in the second decks, along with other dangerous parts of the engines so I could have quick access. The less dangerous part of the engine rooms was in the lower deck such as the stuff that supply the Oars energy was in the second floor along with the sickbay, storage, and the stables.

I led the way down the hall. I'd built the ship with eight cabins, one for each of the seven demigods in the prophecy, and of course one for a adult chaperone Coach Hedge. At the stern was a large mess hall/lounge which was where we were to meet.

When we reached the mess hall everyone else was sitting around the dinning table. I expected Jason to be there, but instead Annabeth was threw.

"All right, Annabeth, you win. When in the air, Jason has right to the seat because of his dad, but when we're in the sea, I have right," Percy said.

"Good!" Annabeth said.

From what I can guess is that Annabeth forced Jason and Percy into a compromise for the sea. Not that I blame them. The head seat is for the one in charge and since both Jason and Percy are Praetors and been leaders of their camps, both earned the seat.

I had made the lounge as nice as possible, since I figured we'd be spending a lot of time there. The cupboard was lined with magic cups and plates from Camp Half-Blood, which would fill up with whatever food or drink you wanted on command. There was also a magical ice chest with canned drinks, perfect for picnics ashore. The chairs were cushy recliners with thousand-finger massage, built-in headphones, and sword and drink holders for all your demigod kicking-back needs. There were no windows, but the walls were enchanted to show real-time footage of Camp Half-Blood—the beach, the forest, the strawberry fields, the _Garden of Persephone II_ —although now I was wondering if this made people homesick rather than happy.

After the compromise Percy started staring longingly at the sunset view of Half-Blood Hill, where the Golden Fleece glittered in the branches of the tall pine tree. I noticed on his wrist was the wrist watch Annabeth wore when I met her. I remember the wristwatch that spirals out into a shield when the button is hit. I'm guessing Annabeth finally returned the wristwatch to her boyfriend.

"So we've landed," Percy said. "What now?"

Frank plucked on his bowstring. "Figure out the prophecy? I mean… that _was_ a prophecy Ella spoke, right? From the Sibylline Books?"

"The what?" I asked.

Frank explained how are harpy friend was freakishly good at memorizing books. At some point in the past, she'd inhaled a collection of ancient prophecies the Romans used to determined their fate since—unlike the Greeks—they didn't have an oracle to turn to. However sometime during the fall of Rome they were supposedly destroyed.

"That's why you didn't tell the Romans," I guessed. "You didn't want them to get a hold of her."

"More of we didn't want Octavian to get hold of her," Hazel said.

Percy kept staring at the image of Half-Blood Hill. "Ella's sensitive. She was captive when we found her. If Octavian found out about her, he would probably keep her captive in order to get the prophecies out of her."

"How's she doing now?" Hazel asked.

"Better now," Percy said. "I Iris-Message Tyson a while back and gave him the order to take Ella to Camp Half-Blood and stay away from Camp Jupiter until things cool down."

I doubt anywhere is safe now that I started another war between Greeks and Romans.

Annabeth laced her fingers. "Let me think about the prophecy—but right now we have more immediate problems We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need?"

"The easiest thing is tar." I was glad to change the subject. "We can get that in the city, at a roofing-supply store or someplace like that. Also, Celestial bronze and lime. According to Festus, we can find both of those on an island in the lake just west of here."

"We'll have to hurry," Hazel warned. "If I know Octavian, he's searcing for us with his auguries. The Romans will send a strike force after us. It's a matter of honor."

"And without any proof of Leo being possessed or any idea what possessed him, Romans won't listen to reason," Percy said, "And since we don't know if whatever possessed Leo won't strike again if we should split up, we should use the buddy system. No group larger than two or three since that's the safest number of demigods in a group."

"That sounds good since we'll have to split up to get the supplies we needed," Hazel said.

"One group should also stay on the ship incase if the Romans arrive they decide to attack it," Jason said.

"But how do we find Celestial Bronze?" Piper turned to me. "Did Festus give you a specific place to find it on the island?"

"No," I responded.

"I should be able to find it," Hazel said. "I have powers over precious stones and medal which makes it easy for me to sense and summon them."

Annabeth looked up, "I didn't know that was a power of children of Pluto?"

Hazel shrugged, "It normally isn't. The gift normally comes with consequences, so Pluto doesn't bless it on just anyone."

"Between Arion and Blackjack we practically have rides," Percy said.

"Piper and I'll stay back and look out for any signs of Romans," Jason said.

"Sounds good," Annabeth agreed.

"Frank, why don't you go with Percy and Annabeth," Hazel suggested, "With your family gift you probably could help them in case something happens

Frank opened his mouth like he wanted to protest. "I… I guess. But what about you?"

"I'll ride Arion with Sa—with Leo, here." She fidgeted with her sword hilt, which made me uneasy. She had more nervous energy than _I_ did. "It be easier that way if the celestial bronze turns out to be large. We can get the lime as well. We can all meet back here by dark."

Frank scowled. Obviously he didn't like the idea of me going off with Hazel. For some reason, Frank's disapproval made me want to go. I _had_ to prove I'm not going to lose control again.

"Leo," said Annabeth, "if we get the supplies, how long to fix the ship?"

"With luck, just a few hours."

"Fine," she decided. "We'll meet back here as soon as possible. We still don't know the condition of our divine parents at this point, so be safe. We could use some good luck. That doesn't mean we'll get it."


	6. Leo's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part II**

Riding Arion was the best thing that had happened to me all day—which wasn't saying much, since my day sucked. The horse's hooves turned the surface of the lake to salty mist. I put my hand against the horse's side and felt the muscles working like a well-oiled machine. For the first time, I understood why car engines are measured in horsepower. Arion was a four-legged Maserati.

Ahead of us lay an island—a line of sand so white, it might have been pure table salt. Behind the rose an expanse of grassy dunes and weathered boulders.

I sat behind Hazel, forced to have at least one arm around her waist in order to stay on. The close contact made me a little uncomfortable, but as I said, it was the only way I could stay on board (or whatever you call it with a horse).

Before we left, Percy had pulled me aside to tell me Hazel's story. Percy made it sound like he was just doing me a favor, but I think he was only telling me so if we run into one of Gaea's minions I won't get any wrong ideas if they told me about it.

According to Percy, Hazel was a daughter of Pluto who died in the 1940s. Her brother Nico brought her back to life over nine months ago (before Hera and Juno worked together to exchange Percy and Jason between the two camps actually), mainly so Hazel could play her role in the Prophecy of Seven, but personally (from what I understand) to live the life that was cut short all those years ago.

Still, I have a hard time believing Hazel was one of the reborns from the Underworld. She seemed warm and very alive unlick a ghost. I doubt she would trick anyone with fake kindness in order to slay them or have them slay their best friend like Medea, or seemed friendly and good spirit up until they make a deal that involves you being one of their statues or something like that like Midas.

No, Hazel seemed good with people in a good way, where you can trust her to have your back.

Still, Hazel was Frank's girlfriend, so knew I should keep my distance.

One thing bothers me though—something about her name seem familiar, like I heard it somewhere before. I can't place my finger on it, as it seemed to be an early memory that happened before Hera tried to kill me.

Arion thundered onto the beach. He stomped his hooves and whinnied triumphantly, like Coach Hedge yelling a battle cry.

Hazel and I dismounted. Arion pawed the sand.

"He needs to eat," Hazel said. "He likes gold, but—"

"Gold?" I asked.

"He'll settle for grass. Go on, Arion. Thanks for the ride. I'll call you."

Just like that, the horse was gone—nothing left but a steaming trail across the lake.

"Fast horse," I said. "And for most mortals, expensive feed. I guess it's a good thing your dad blessed you with powers over precious metals and stones."

"Believe me if you know the consequences of bearing the blessing, you wouldn't think it's a good thing," Hazel said.

"What kind of consequences?" I asked. "Does it come with some kind of curse or dangerous or something?"

Hazel pursed her lips as if she regretted raising the subject. "Never mind."

That made me even more curious, but also gave me enough reason to back off on the topic. After all, I know better than anyone that some blessings have consequences and-or dangerous. After all, my father Hephaestus blessed me with powers over fire, a gift that in the past whenever appears in a demigod usually meant a bad sign.

I knelt and cupped a handful of white sand. "Well… one problem solved, anyway. This is lime."

Hazel frowned. "The whole beach?"

"Yeah. See? The granules are perfectly round. It's not really sand. It's calcium carbonate," I pulled a Ziploc bag from my tool belt and dug my hand into the lime.

Suddenly I froze. I remembered all the times the earth goddess Gaea had appeared to me in the ground—her sleeping face made of dust or sand or dirt. She loved to taunt me. I imagined her closed eyes and her dreaming smile swirling in the white calcium.

 _Walk away, little hero,_ Gaea said. _Without you, the ship cannot be fixed._

"Leo?" Hazel asked. "You okay?"

I took a shaky breath. Gaea wasn't here. I was just freaking myself out.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, fine."

I started to fill the bag.

Hazel knelt next to me and helped. "We should've brought a pail and shovels."

The idea cheered me up to where I even smiled. "We could've made a sand castle."

"A lime castle."

Our eyes locked for a second too long.

Hazel looked away. "You are _so_ much like—"

"Sammy?" I guessed which surprised Hazel so much she fell backward.

"You know?"

"I have no idea who Sammy is. But Frank asked me if I was sure that wasn't my name."

"And… it isn't?"

"No! Jeez."

"Maybe you're related to him. Is your family from New Orleans?"

"My family is from Houston," I said, "At least it been that way since my great-grandfather moved there."

"Your great-grandfather?" Hazel asked.

I nodded as I explained about my mother's workshop that been in my family since my great-grandfather before it was burned down. I didn't go into details about how it burned, but Hazel didn't ask.

"Sorry, for asking, but I had to be sure," Hazel apologized. Then her eyebrows furrowed as a thought occurred to her.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," Hazel said, "Just something Gaea told me once to let my guard down—it's probably nothing."

I know that feeling. Gaea been trying to make me feel inferior and forcing my hand since I was eight.

We finished filling the bag in silence. I stuffed it in his tool belt and the bag vanished—no weight, no mass, no volume—but I know it would be there as soon as I reach for it. Anything that could fit into the pockets, I could tote around. I _loved_ my tool belt. I just wished the pockets were large enough for a chain saw or maybe a bazooka.

"Okay," I said as I got up and turned to Hazel. "Now we need to find the celestial bronze. So which way do we go Miss Metal Detector?"

"That way." Hazel pointed up the beach. "About five hundred Yards."

"Lead the way," I responded.

…

The sun began to set. The sky turned a bizarre mix of purple and yellow. In another reality, I might've enjoyed a walk on the beach with a pretty girl, but the farther we went, the edgier I felt. Finally, Hazel turned inland.

"You sure this is a good idea?" I asked.

"We're close," she promised. "Come on."

Just over the dunes, we saw a woman

She sat on a boulder in the middle of a grassy field. A black-and-chrome motorcycle was parked nearby, but each of the wheels had a big pie slice removed from the spokes and rim, so that they resembled Pac-Men. No way was the bike drivable in that condition.

The woman had curly black hair and a bony frame. She wore black leather biker pants, tall leather boots, and a blood red leather jacket—sort of a _Michael Jackson joins the Hell's Angels_ look. Around her feet, the ground was littered with what looked like broken shells. She was hunched over, pulling new ones out of a sack and cracking them open. At first I thought she was shucking oysters but I wasn't sure were any oysters in the Great Salt Lake.

I wasn't anxious to approach. I had bad experience with strange ladies ever since Hera disguised herself as an old lady who made me call her Tía Callida as she put me in blazing fireplace, fight rattlesnakes, play with dangerous knives, and burn picnic tables. Not to mention there was Gaea who killed my mother in a workshop fire when I was eight. And—oh yeah—there's the snow goddess Khione ho tried to turn me into a frozen dairy treat in Sonoma.

But Hazel forge ahead, so I didn't have much choice except to follow.

As we got closer, I noticed disturbing details. Attached to the woman's belt was a curled whip. Her red-leather jacket had a subtle design to it—twisted branches of an apple tree populated with skeletal birds. What I thought was oysters she was shucking were actually fortune cookies.

A pile of broken cookies lay ankle-deep all around her. She kept pulling new ones from her sack, cracking them open, and reading the fortunes. Most she tossed aside. A few made her mutter unhappily. She would swipe her fingers over the slip of paper like she was smudging it, then magically reseal the cookie and toss it into a nearby basket.

"What are you doing?" I asked before I could stop myself.

The woman looked up and my lungs filled so fast I thought they might burst.

"Aunt Rosa?" I asked.

It didn't make sense, but this woman looked _exactly_ like my aunt. She had the same broad nose with a mole on one side, the same sour mouth and hard eyes. But I quickly realized it couldn't be the aunt that turned my family against me and had me send to foster homes after my mom died. Rosa would never wear clothes like that, and the last I check she was still down in Houston. She wouldn't be cracking open fortune cookies in the middle of the Great Salt Lake.

"Is that what you see?" the woman asked. "Interesting. And you, Hazel, dear?"

"How did you—" Hazel stepped back in alarm. "You—you look like Mrs. Leer. My third grade teacher. I hated you."

The woman cackled in a way that sounded familiar—like I heard someone laugh almost the same way. "Excellent. You resented her, eh? She judge you unfairly?"

"You—she taped my hands to the desk for misbehaving," Hazel said. "She called my mother a witch. She blamed me for everything I didn't do and—No. She _has_ to be dead. Who _are_ you?"

"Oh, Leo knows," the woman said. "How do you feel about Aunt Rosa, _mijo_?"

 _Mijo_. That's what my mom had always called me. But I didn't love Aunt Rosa the way I loved my mom. _Especially_ what she did to me. I hated her and that's saying something since I didn't have many people to hate. The very thought of her made me feel resentment, like I wanted to get even—I wanted to get revenge.

My eyes drifted to the motorcycle with the Pac-Man wheels. I realized I seen it before—above the door of Cabin Sixteen, and that's when it dawn to me where I recognized her laugh before. The head counsellor of Cabin Sixteen would sometimes laugh the very same way.

"You're Ethan Nakamura's mom: Nemesis," I responded. "The goddess of revenge and balance."

"You see?" the goddess smiled at Hazel. "He recognizes me."

Nemesis cracked another cookie and wrinkled her nose. _"You will have great fortune when you least expect it,"_ she read. "That's exactly the sort of nonsense I hate. Someone opens a cookie, and suddenly they have a prophecy that they'll be rich. I blame Tyche for this. She's always dispensing good luck to people who don't deserve it!"

I looked at the mound of broken cookies. "Uh… you know those aren't real prophecies, right? They're just stuff in the cookies at some factory—"

"Don't try to excuse it!" Nemesis snapped. "It's just like Tyche to get people's hopes up. No, no. I _must_ counter her." Nemesis flicked a finger over the slip of paper, and the letters changed to red. _"You will die painfully when you most expect it._ There! Much better."

"That's horrible!" Hazel said. "You let someone read that in their fortune cookie, and it would come true?"

Nemesis sneered. It really was creepy, seeing that expression on Aunt Rosa's face. "My dear Hazel, haven't you ever wished horrible things on Mrs. Leer for the way she treated you?"

"That doesn't mean I'd want them to come true!"

"Bah." The goddess resealed the cookie and tossed it in her basket. "Tyche would be Fortuna for you, I suppose, being Roman. Like many others, she's in a horrible way right now due to the upcoming war."

Great, just what I need—another reminder about the consequences of me attacking Camp Jupiter. Wait a minute…

"Wait, why aren't you affected by the war?" I asked, "Didn't the Romans create a Roman form for you?"

"Took you a while to realize it, huh?" Nemesis said, "Well too put it simply, I'm not affected because no matter what—Greek and Roman, I do not change. My domain is mainly revenge and no matter where you go revenge stays the same because it's universal. Even with the balance between the Greek and Roman gods tipping to either side, I stay the same.

"What are you talking about?" Hazel said, "How does balance have to do with the gods' condition."

I remembered what Ethan said about creating the gods maintaining balance between Greek and Roman form.

"She's referring to the fact that in order to keep order between the different ideals of the Greeks and Romans, the gods created a separate persona in order to keep balance," I said, "But the balance is unsteady isn't it? Because of the conflict between Greek and Roman demigods."

Nemesis didn't answer at first as she opened another cookie. "Lucky numbers! Ridiculous! That's not even a proper fortune!" she crushed the cookie and scattered the pieces around her feet.

"As for what you just said, Leo Valdez, you're correct. Ever since Romans conquered Greece the balance grew unsteady, and every time the Romans and Greeks go war with each other, the Olympians and any other Minor gods who has two separate personas would be torn between their two natures—being called on both sides. They became quite schizophrenic, I'm afraid. Splitting headaches. Disoriented. And right now they have one person to blame for their predicament?"

My mouth tasted like calcium carbonate. "Me?"

The goddess snorted. "Well, don't _you_ have a high opinion of yourself. You're just a pawn on a chessboard, Leo Valdez. I was referring to the player who set this ridiculous quest in motion, bringing the Greeks and Romans together. The gods blame Hera—or Juno, if you prefer! The queen of the heavens has fled from Olympus to escape the wrath of her family. Don't expect any more help from your patron!"

My head throbbed. I had mixed feelings about Hera after what she put me through, but at least she had been on our side, more or less. If she was out of the picture now…

"So why are you here?" I asked.

"Why, to offer _my_ help!" Nemesis said.

I glanced at Hazel who looked as if she'd just been offered a free snake."

"Your help," I said.

"Of course!" said the goddess. "With the war, you are limited on divine help and as the goddess of Balance I must do something to regain balance. Especially if it means doing what I enjoy doing most: tearing down the proud and powerful, and there are none who deserve tearing down like Gaea and her Giants. Still, I must warn you that I will not suffer undeserved success. Good luck is a sham. The wheel of fortune is a Ponzi scheme. True success requires sacrifice."

"Sacrifice" Hazel's voice was tight. "I lost my mother. I died and came back. My sister doesn't know I exist yet, and now my brother is missing. Isn't that enough sacrifice for you?"

I could relate. I lost my mom, and for so many years I blamed myself. I lost my dragon Festus. I'd nearly killed myself trying to finish the _Argo II_. Now I'd been possessed into firing on the Roman camp and started a war that could end any chance we have in defeating the giants.

"Right now," I said, trying to control my anger, "all I want is some Celestial bronze."

"Oh, that's easy," Nemesis said. "It's just over the rise. You'll find it with the sweethearts"

"What sweethearts?" Hazel asked.

Nemesis popped a cookie in her mouth and swallowed it, fortune and all. "You'll see. Perhaps they will teach you a lesson, Hazel Levesque. Most heroes cannot escape their nature, even when given a second chance at life." She smiled. "As for your siblings, if you succeed in your quest, there's a chance the Fates will allow you and Bianca to meet. But first you have to save your brother Nico, and you don't have much time. Let's see… it's June Twenty-fifth? Yes, after today, six more days. Then he dies, along with the entire city of Rome."

Hazel's eyes widened. "How… what—"

"As for _you_ , child of fire." Nemesis turned to me. "Your worst hardship are yet to come. You will always be the outsider, the seventh wheel. You will not find a place among your brethren. Soon you will face a problem you cannot solve, though I could help you… for a price"

I smelled smoke and quickly realized my left hand's fingers were ablazed, and Hazel was staring at me in terror.

I shoved my hand in my pocket to extinguish the flames. "I like to solve my own problems.'

"Very well." Nemesis brushed cookie dust off her jacket.

"But, um, what sort of price are we talking about?"

The goddess shrugged. "You met my son Ethan, right? Do you ever wonder what happened to his eye?"

My first thought went to the fact Ethan always wore an eye patch over one eye. It never occurred to me why he always wore one. I thought he might have lost an eye during the Second Titan War or fighting a monster.

"Not really," I replied truthfully.

"Hmm, I guess not. I doubt my son talked about it much either after the Titan War," Nemesis said. "Too put it simply, before the Second Titan War—before minor gods had a cabin in Camp Half-Blood, Ethan wanted to make a difference, and after learning I was his mother, he asked me for such a gift. I granted it too him, along with the gift to see through the Mist so it won't affect him, but at a cost."

"He gave you his eye." My stomach churned

Nemesis nodded. "And cause of it, he made a difference when it matters most by helping Percy. And because Percy lost his dear brother Luke, some of us minor gods along with Hades got cabins and memorials in Camp Half-Blood and you and your Greek friends get to be claimed within twenty four hours of finding out you're a demigod instead of the old ways where the gods took their time claiming them."

I think I'm going to be sick.

"Oh, don't worry." She said when she saw my expression. "In your case, another sacrifice will be needed. But something just as painful. Here." She handed me an unbroken fortune cookie. "If you need an answer, break this. It will solve your problem."

My hand trembled as I held the fortune cookie. "What problem?"

"You'll know when the time comes."

"No, thanks," I said firmly. But my hand, as though it had a will of its own slipped the cookie into my tool belt.

Nemesis picked another cookie from her bag and cracked it open. _"You will have cause to reconsider your choices soon_. Oh, I like that one. No changes needed here."

She resealed the cookie and tossed it into the basket. "Very few gods will be able to help you on the quest. Most are already incapacitated, and their confusion will only grow worse. One thing might bring unity to Olympus again—the final test that will finally avenge an old wrong. Ah, that would be sweet indeed, the scales finally balanced! But it will not happen unless you accept my help."

"I suppose you won't tell us what you're talking about," Hazel muttered. "Or why my brother Nico has only six days to live. Or why Rome is going to be destroyed.

Nemesis chuckled. She rose and slung her sack of cookies over her shoulder. "Oh, it's all tied together, Hazel Levesque. As for my offer, Leo Valdez, give it some thought. You're a good child. A hard worker. We could do business. But I have detained you too long. You should visit the reflecting pool before the light fades. My poor cursed boy gets quite… agitated when the darkness comes."

I didn't like the sound of that, but the goddess climbed on her motorcycle. Apparently, it _was_ drivable, despite those Pac-Man—shaped wheels, because Nemesis revved her engine and disappeared in a mushroom cloud of black smoke.

Hazel bent down. All the broken cookies and fortunes had disappeared except for one crumped slip of paper. She picked it up and read, _"You will see yourself reflected, and you will have reason to despair."_

"Fantastic," I grumbled. "Let's go see what that means."

* * *

 **A/N:** Keep in mind that Ethan Nakamura and Bianca are alive in _this_ series.


	7. Leo's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part III**

"Who is Aunt Rosa?" Hazel asked.

I didn't want to talk to her. Nemesis' words were still buzzing in my ears. My tool belt seemed heavier since I'd put the cookie in there—which was impossible. Its pockets could carry anything without adding extra weight. Even the most fragile things would never break. Still, I imagine I could feel it in there, dragging me down, waiting to be cracked open.

"Long story," I said. "She abandoned me after my mom died, gave me to foster care."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well…" I decided to change topics. "At least we learn something from Nemesis. We have a clue to find your brother."

"Yeah…" Hazel said. "I'm worried about what Nemesis said about sacrifices though. I mean, she had her son give up an eye just to make a difference."

"Yeah, but I doubt Ethan was made Cabin Counsellor of Cabin Sixteen through sympathy," I explained. "He must have made some kind of impact. I mean, he's not the only child of Nemesis in Camp. When we get back to the ship we will tell the others what we learn from Nemesis and maybe come up with a way to save your brother _and_ Rome."

Hazel nodded. "I hope you're right. The thought of Nico having only six days to live—there has to be something I can do. Part of me even want to contact Bianca to see if she knows anything."

"If she did, she never told us," I said.

Hazel froze. "You met Bianca before?"

I felt like I should slap myself. Here Hazel been worried about Nico while never even knowing her sister, when I _have_ met her.

"A few times—mostly during the quest to free Hera," I said.

"What is she like?" Hazel asked.

That was hard to answer. The only time I seen Bianca, she treated me like most Hunters treat any other boy—like we were worse than most monsters they hunted. But I'm not one of Bianca's long lost siblings, or had a sibling bond with, so I don't know what Bianca is like otherwise. But Hazel obviously wanted an answer.

"Well I can't tell you much more than your brother probably told you," I said. "Mostly because since she treats me no different from any boy."

Hazel nodded.

We climbed one of the largest boulders to get a better view. Along the way, I lost balance and Hazel caught my hand. She pulled me up and we found ourselves atop the rock, holding hands, face-to-face. For the first time I noticed Hazel's eyes was nothing like her sister's. Bianca's eyes were more dark, and in some situations had a look of a mad-genius. But Hazel's was a glittering gold color. Not so dark or scary looking.

 _She's Frank's girlfriend,_ I reminded myself.

Although I'm starting to understand why Frank didn't sound so convincing back on the ship. Whoever Sammy is, he obviously meant a lot to Hazel back in her previous life.

But I can't help but shake this feeling I know Hazel's name from somewhere, and the more I thought of it, a sneaking suspicion dawn over me that I knew the name Sammy from somewhere as well and the two names were connected.

And I realize we were still holding hands.

"Um thanks," I let go of er hand, but we were still close, I could feel the warmth of her breath. She _definitely_ didn't seem like a dead person.

"When we were talking to Nemesis," Hazel said uneasily, "your hands… I saw flames."

"Yeah," I said. "It's a power of Hephaestus. Only Hephaestus doesn't give it to just anyone."

"So—it's a rare blessing, like my power over riches of the earth," Hazel said.

"Yeah," I said. "Most of the time I can keep it under control. But if I get too excited or upset or anything like that—well, you saw it yourself."

"Oh." She put one hand protectively on her denim shirt, like she was about to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I got the feeling she wanted to back away from me, but the boulder was too small.

Great, I thought. Another person who thinks I'm a scary freak.

I gazed across the inland. The opposite shore was only a few hundred yards away. Between here and there were dunes and clumps of boulders, but nothing that looked like a reflecting pool.

 _You will always be the outsider,_ Nemesis had told me, _the seventh wheel. You will not find a place among your brethren._

She might as well have poured acid in my ears. I didn't need anybody to tell me I was the odd man out. After Beckendorf left Cabin Nine in my charge while he went to NYU for the school year, I'd spent months alone in Bunker 9 at Camp Half-Blood, working on my ship instead of joining my friends and siblings to capture the flag for fun and prizes. Even my two best friends, Piper and Jason, often treated me like an outsider. No matter if it was Mist memories or for real, ever since they started dating, their idea of "quality time" didn't include me. Sure they came to my aid when I got myself in a tight situation like almost blowing up Bunker 9, the _Argo II_ , and most of the woods, but the next day things always went back to normal. My only other friend, Festus the dragon, had been reduced to a figurehead when his body and control disk was destroyed on our last adventure, and it wasn't until Beckendorf came back for the Summer that I had anyone else to talk too, and even with that, Beckendorf would spend most of the time with his _girlfriend_ Silena Beauregard.

 _The seventh wheel._ I had heard of a fifth wheel—an extra, useless piece of equipment. I figured a seventh wheel was worse.

I had hopes that I would have a fresh start in this quest. That all my hard work on the _Argo II_ would finally pay off. I'd have six good friends who would admire and appreciate me, and we'd go sailing off into the sunrise to fight giants. Maybe, I had secretly hoped, I'd even find a girlfriend.

 _Do the math,_ I chided myself.

Nemesis was right. I might be part of a group of seven, but I was still isolated. Something may have possessed me to fire on the Romans, but I still brought trouble on my friends. _You will not find a place among your brethren._

"Leo?" Hazel asked gently. "You can't take what Nemesis said to heart. She's the goddess of revenge. "Even if she's on our side in this war, she still exist to stir up resentment."

I wish I could dismiss my feelings that easy but I couldn't. Still, it wasn't Hazel's fault.

"We should keep going," I said. "I wonder wat Nemesis meant about finishing before dark."

Hazel glanced at the sun, which was just touching the horizon. "And who is the _cursed boy_ she mentioned.

Below us, a voice said, "Cursed boy she mentioned."

At first, I saw no one. Then my eyes adjusted. I realized a young woman was standing only ten feet from the base of the boulder. Her dress was a Greek-style tunic the same color as the rocks. Her wispy hair was somewhere between brown and blond and gray, so it blended with the dry grass. She wasn't invisible, exactly, but she was almost perfectly camouflaged until she moved—sort of like the camouflage armor Hephaestus Cabin sometimes use for our game of Capture the flag. Still, I had trouble focusing on her. Her face was pretty but not memorable. In fact, every time I blinked, I couldn't remember what she looked like, and I had to concentrate to find her again.

"Hello," Hazel said. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" The girl answered. Her voice sounded weary, like she was tired of answering that question.

Hazel and I exchange looks. With this demigod gig, you never knew what you'd run into. Nine times out of ten, it wasn't good. A ninja girl camouflaged in earth tones didn't strike me as something I wanted to deal with just then.

"Are you the cursed kid Nemesis mentioned?" Leo asked. "But you're a girl."

"You're a girl," said the girl.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"Excuse me," the girl said miserably.

"You're repeating…" I stopped. "Oh. Hold it. Hazel, wasn't there some myth about a girl who repeated everything—?"

"Echo," Hazel said.

"Echo," the girl agreed. She shifted, her dress changing with the landscape. Her eyes were the color of the salt water. I tried to home in on her features, but I couldn't.

"All I remember from the myth was that you were cursed to repeat the last thing you heard," I sad.

"You heard," Echo said.

"Poor thing," Hazel said. "If I remember right, a goddess did this?"

"A goddess did this," Echo confirmed.

I scratched my head. "But wasn't that thousands of years… oh. You're one of the mortals who came back through the Doors of Death. I really wish we stop running—" I stopped myself as I almost forgot that Hazel was one of the returnees. "—never mind."

"Never mind," Echo agreed as if knowing where I was going.

"We still need to find the reflecting pool," Hazel said.

"Reflecting pool." Echo pointed toward the far shore of the inland.

"You want to show us something?" Hazel asked as she climbed down the boulder. I wasn't so quick to follow..

"Hey wait! How do we know she's not working for Gaea?" I asked as I climbed down.

"Not working for Gaea," Echo said distastefully as if I hit a sore subject.

"Sorry," I apologize. "I just didn't want to take risk of being turned into a gold statue again."

Hazel frowned. "What?"

"King Midas, long story," I replied.

"Long story," Echo responded.

"Well, I don't she's working for Gaea," Hazel said. "Nico warned me this might happen."

"What?" I asked.

"My brother, Nico—he told me that with the Doors of Death open, there was a possibility that spirits will return on their own without making a deal with Gaea," Hazel said.

"Without making a deal with Gaea," Echo agreed.

I never even considered that as a possibility. Then again, until hours ago I never thought a returnee would be one of the seven greatest heroes of our generation whose fates turned out to be tied to this prophecy.

Now that I was closer to Echo, I noticed that she was more visible.

"So… you have to repeat everything?" I asked.

"Everything."

I couldn't help but smile as an idea came to me. After all, not every day you meet someone who can only repeat the last thing you say. "That could be fun."

"Fun," she said unhappily.

"Blue elephants."

"Blue elephant."

"Kiss me, you fool."

"You fool."

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"Leo," Hazel pleaded, "don't tease her."

"Don't tease her," Echo agreed.

"Okay, okay," I said, though I had to resist the urge. "So if you're not working for Gaea, why are you here? What were you pointing at? Do you need our help?"

"Help," Echo agreed emphatically. She gestured for us to follow and sprinted down the slope. I could only follow her progress by the movement of the grass and the shimmer of her dress as it changed to match the rocks.

"We better hurry," Hazel said. "Or we'll lose."

…

We found the problem—if you can call a mob of good-looking girls a problem. Echo led us down into a grassy meadow shaped like a blast crater, with a small pond in the middle. Gathered at the water's edge were nymphs. Like the ones at Camp Half-Blood, these were gossamer dresses. Their feet were bare. They had elfish features and their skin color is mostly based off what they're Nymphs of. And it wasn't just one type of Nymph. Judging from some of their appearances there were a variety, which made me a little nervous.

Last winter, Jason Piper and I had to deal with Maenads—followers of Dionysus who loved to party and if you threaten them or call yourself Dionysus and they find out you're not, you'll be torn to shreds. The hardest part wasn't fighting them, it was figuring out how to fight them without destroying them or else suffer from Dionysus' punishment.

I doubt Maenads were among the group since there wasn't any partying going on, but these nymphs were obviously here for some reason. They were all crowded together in one spot, facing the pond and jostling for a better view. Many were bouncing up and down and giggling so excitedly that seemed familiar. Several held up phone cameras, trying to get a shot over the heads of the others. I didn't even know that Nymphs had phones.

"What are they looking at?" I wondered.

"Looking at," Echo sighed.

"One way to find out." Hazel marched forward and began nudging her way through the crowd. "Excuse us. Pardon me."

"Hey!" one nymph complained. "We were here first!"

"Yeah," another sniffed. "He won't be interested in _you_."

The second nymph had large red hearts painted on her cheeks. Over her dress, she ore a T-shirt that read: OMG I3N!

Oh, now I recognized this behavior. I remember one of Piper's half-sisters: Drew Tanaka being the same way to Piper about Jason before they started dating. Heck even Khione acted that way at first—in her cold hearted way.

I've grown use to it in my own way being friends with Jason, but it's still a reminder of everything I'm not. The only thing I got leaning toward me for hopes of a future girlfriend is my skills and sense of humor.

Still, I doubt it would help if I tell the Nymphs that Hazel already has a boyfriend and isn't interested in whoever they're oogling over.

"All right, move along, we're on demigod business here," I said. "Make room. Thanks."

The nymphs grumbled, but they parted to reveal a young man kneeling at the edge of the pond, gazing intently at the water.

Well, the guy definitely had the looks of someone who catches a lot of girl's attention. He had a chiseled face with lips and eyes that were somewhere between feminine beautiful and masculine handsome. Dark hair swept over his brow. He might've been seventeen or twenty, it was hard to say, but he was built like a dancer—with long graceful arms and muscular legs, perfect posture and an air of regal calm. He wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans, but with a bow and quiver strapped to his back. The weapons obviously hadn't been used in a while. The arrows were covered in dust. A spider had woven a web in the top of the bow.

As I edged closer, I realized the guy's face was unusually golden. In the sunset, the light was bouncing off a large flat sheet of Celestial bronze that lay at the bottom of the pond, washing Mr. Handsome's features in a warm glow.

The guy seemed fascinated with his reflection in the metal.

Hazel inhaled sharply. "He's gorgeous."

Around her, the nymphs squealed and clapped their hands in agreement.

"I am," the young man murmured dreamily, his gaze still fixed on the water. "I am _so_ gorgeous."

One of the nymphs showed her iPhone screen. "His latest YouTube video got a million hits in like, an _hour_. I think I was half of those!"

The other nymphs giggled.

"You tube video?" I asked. "What does he do in the video, sing?"

"No, silly!" the nymph chided. "He used to be a prince and a wonderful hunter and stuff. But that doesn't matter. Now he just… well, look!" She showed me the video. It wasn't anything special, just what we were already watching—the guy staring at himself in the pond.

"He is sooooo hot!" said another girl. Her T-shirt read: MRS. NARCISSUS.

"Narcissus?" I asked

"Narcissus," Echo agreed sadly.

I forgot that Echo was there. Apparently none of the Nymphs noticed her either.

"Oh, not _you_ again!" Mrs. Narcissus tried to push Echo away, but she misjudge where the camouflaged girl was and ended up shoving several other nymphs.

"You had your chance, Echo!" said the nymph with the iPhone. "He dumped you four thousand years ago! You are _so_ not good enough for him."

"For him," Echo said bitterly.

"Wait." Hazel clearly had trouble tearing her eyes away from the handsome—which I decided not to tell Frank, but she managed. "What's going on here? Why did Echo bring us here?"

One of the Nymphs rolled her eyes. She was holding an autograph pen and a crumpled poster of Narcissus (I don't even want to know where she got that). "Echo was a nymph like us, a long time ago, but she was a total chatterbox! Gossiping, blah, blah, blah, all the time."

"I know!" another nymph shrieked. "Like, who can stand that? Just the other day Cleopeia was gossiping about that Cloud Nymph that use to be an Assistant of Aeolus—what was her name… Millie, Molly—"

It was a wide shot but when I heard Cloud Nymph and Assistant of Aeolus, I asked, "Mellie?"

"That's it, Mellie… Anyways Cleopeia was spreading gossip about how she got some assistant job with a famous mortal actor Tristan McLean—not as famous as handsome as Narcissus of course—and is dating a satyr that helped his daughter saved Tristan. Of course I didn't believe her, like a famous mortal actor would hired a cloud nymph, so I told Cleopeia: _Stop gossiping or you'll end up like Echo_."

I snorted as Hazel had a confused look.

"Totally!" said the nymph with the poster. "So anyway, as punishment for blabbing, Hera cursed Echo so she could only repeat things, which was _fine_ with us. But then Echo fell in love with our gorgeous guy, Narcissus—as if he would ever notice her."

"As if!" said half a dozen others.

"Now she's got some weird idea he needs saving," said Mrs. Narcissus. "She should just go away."

"Go away," Echo growled back.

"I'm _so_ glad Narcissus is alive again," said another nymph in a gray dress. She had the words NARCISSUS + LAIEA written up and down her arms in black marker. "He's like _the best_! And he's in _my_ territory."

"Oh, stop it, Laiea," her friend said. " _I'm_ the pond nymph. You're just the rock nymph."

"Well, I'm the grass nymph," Another protested.

"No, he obviously came here because he likes the wildflowers!" another said. "Those are mine!"

The whole mob began arguing while Narcissus stared at the lake, ignoring them. If you ask me, Narcissus came here to look at himself.

"Hold it!" I yelled. "Ladies, hold it! I need to ask Narcissus something."

Slowly the nymphs settled down and went back to taking pictures.

I knelt next to the handsome dude. "No, Narcissus. What's up?"

"Could you move?" Narcissus asked distractedly. "You're ruining the view."

I looked in the water. My own water reflection rippled next to Narcissus on the surface of the submerged bronze. I didn't have any desire to stare at myself. Compare to Narcissus, I looked more like an undergrown troll. But there was no doubt the metal was a sheet of hammered Celestial bronze, roughly circular, about five feet in diameter.

What it was doing in this pond, I wasn't sure. Celestial bronze fell to earth in odd places. I heard most pieces were cast off from my dad's various workshops. Hephaestus would lose his temper when projects didn't work out, and he'd toss his scraps into the mortal world. When Percy told me of the Junkyard of the gods, I thought they might of ended up there, but I guess even Hephaestus doesn't always pays attention to where he toss things sometimes. This piece looked like it might have been meant as a shield for a god, but it hadn't turned out properly. If I could get it back to the ship, it would be just enough bronze for my repairs.

"Right, great view," I said. "Happy to move, but if you're not using it, could I just take that sheet of bronze?"

"No," Narcissus said. "I love him. He's so gorgeous."

I looked at the nymphs were swooning and nodding in agreement. Hazel was the only one appalled. She wrinkled her nose as if she'd come to the conclusion that Narcissus smelled worse than he looked.

"Man," I told Narcissus. "You _do_ realize that you're looking at _yourself_ in the water, right?"

"I'm so great," Narcissus sighed. He stretched out a hand longingly to touch the water, but held back. "No, I can't make ripples. That ruins the image. Wow… I am _so_ great."

"Yeah," I muttered. "But if I took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. Or here…" I reached in my tool belt and pulled out a simple mirror the size of a monocle. "I trade you."

Narcissus took the mirror, reluctantly, and admired himself. "Even _you_ carry a picture of me? I don't blame you. I'm gorgeous. Thank you." He set the mirror down and returned his attention to the pond. "But I already have a much better image. The color flatters me, don't you think?"

"Oh, gods, yes!" a nymph screamed. "Marry me, Narcissus!"

"No, me!" another cried. "Would you sign my poster?"

"No, sign my shirt!"

"No, sign my forehead!"

"No, sign my—"

"Stop it!" Hazel snapped.

"Stop it!" Echo agreed.

I had lost sight of Echo again, but now I realized she was kneeling on the other side of Narcissus, waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to break his concentration. Narcissus didn't even blink.

The nymph fan club tried to shove Hazel out of the way, but she drew her cavalry sword and forced them back. "Snap out of it!" She yelled.

"He won't sign your sword," the poster nymph complained.

"He won't marry you," said the iPhone girl. "And you can't take his bronze mirror! That's what _keeps_ him here!"

"You're all ridiculous," Hazel said. "He's so _full_ of himself! How can you possibly like him?"

"Like him," Echo sighed, still waving her hand in front of his face.

The others sighed along with her.

"I am so hot," Narcissus said sympathetically.

"Narcissus, listen." Hazel kept her sword at ready. "Echo brought us here to help you. Didn't you, Echo?"

"Echo," said Echo.

"Who?" Narcissus said.

"The only girl who cares what happens to you, apparently," Hazel said. "Do you remember dying?"

Narcissus frowned. "I… no. That can't be right. I am much too important to die."

"You died staring at yourself," Hazel insisted. "I remember the story now. Nemesis was the goddess who cursed you, because you broke so many hearts. Your punishment was to fall in love with your own reflection."

"I love me so, so much," Narcissus agreed.

"You finally died," Hazel continued. "I don't know which version of the story is true. You either drowned yourself or turned into a flower hanging over the water or—Echo, which is it?"

"Which is it?" she said hopelessly.

I stood. "It doesn't matter. The point is your alive again, man. You have a second chance. You can get up, and get on with your life. Echo is trying to save you. Or you can stay here and stare at yourself until you die again."

"Stay here!" all the nymphs screamed.

"Marry me before you die!" another squeaked.

Narcissus shook his head. "You just want my reflection. I don't blame you, but you can't have it. I belong to me."

Hazel sighed in exasperation. She glanced at the sun, which was sinking fast. Then she gestured with her sword toward the edge of the crater. "Leo, could we talk for a minute?"

"Excuse us," I told Narcissus. "Echo, want to come with?"

"Come with," Echo confirmed.

The nymphs clustered around Narcissus again and began recording new videos and taking more photos.

Hazel led the way until we were out of earshot. "Nemesis was right," she said. "Some demigods can't change their nature. Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again."

"No," I said.

"No," Echo agreed.

"We need that bronze," I said. "If we take it away, it might give Narcissus a reason to snap out of it. Echo could have a chance to save him."

"A chance to save him," Echo said gratefully.

Hazel stabbed her sword in the sand. "It could also make several dozen nymphs very angry with us," she said. "And Narcissus might still know how to shoot his bow."

I pondered that. The sun was just about down. Nemesis had mention Narcissus got agitated after dark, probably because he couldn't see his reflection anymore. I didn't want to stick around long enough to find out what the goddess meant by _agitated_. And because of the Maenads incident, I do not wish to deal with mobs of crazed nymphs.

"Hazel," I said, "your power with precious metal—Can you just detect it, or can you actually summon it to you?"

Hazel frowned. "Sometimes I can summon it. I've never tried with a piece of Celestial bronze that big before. I might be able to draw it to me through the earth, but I'd have to be fairly close. It would take a lot of concentration, and it wouldn't be fast."

"Be fast," Echo warned.

I muttered some incoherent words. I had hoped we could just go back to the ship, and Hazel could teleport the Celestial bronze from a safe distance.

"All right," I said. "We'll have to try something risky. Hazel, how about you try and summon the bronze from right here? Make it sink through the sand and tunnel over to you, then grab it and run for the ship."

"But Narcissus is looking at it all the time," she said.

"All the time," Echo echoed.

"That'll be my job," I said, hating my own plan already. "Echo and I will cause a distraction."

"Distraction?" Echo asked.

"I'll explain," I promised. "Are you willing?"

"Willing," Echo said.

"Great," I said. "Now, let's hope we don't die."


	8. Leo's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part IV**

I psyched myself up for an extreme makeover. I summoned some breath mints and a pair of welding goggles from my tool belt. The googles weren't exactly sunglasses, but they'd have to do. I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt. I used some machine oil to grease back my hair. I stuck a wrench in my back pocket (why exactly, I wasn't sure) and I had Hazel draw a tattoo on my biceps with a marker: HOT STUFF, with a skull and crossbones.

"What in the world are you thinking?" She sounded pretty flustered. I wondered if Sammy ever done something like this.

"I try not to think," I admitted. "It interferes with being nuts. Just concentrate on moving that Celestial bronze. Echo, are you ready?"

"Ready," she said.

I took a deep breath. I strutted back toward the pond, hoping I looked awesome and not like I had some sort of nervous affliction. "Leo is the coolest!" I yelled.

"Leo is the coolest!" Echo shouted back

"Yeah, baby, check me out!"

"Check me out!" Echo said.

"Make way for the king!"

"The king!"

"Narcissus is weak!"

"Weak!"

The crowd of nymphs scattered in surprise. I shooed them away as if they were bothering me. "No autographs girls. You better just hang around that ugly dweeb Narcissus. He's lame!"

"Lame!" Echo said with enthusiasm.

The nymphs muttered angrily.

"What are you talking about?" one demanded.

 _"You're_ lame," said another.

I adjusted my goggles and smiled. I flexed the biceps I did have and showed off my HOT STUFF tattoo. I had the nymphs attention, if only because they were stunned; but Narcissus was still fixed on his own reflection.

"You know how ugly Narcissus is?" I asked the crowd. "He's so ugly, when he was born his mama thought he was a backward centaur—with a horse butt for a face."

Some of the nymphs gasped. Narcissus frowned, as though he was vaguely aware of a gnat buzzing around his head.

"You know why his bow has cobwebs?" I continued. "He used it to hunt for dates, but he can't find one!"

One of the nymphs laughed but the others quickly elbowed her into silence.

Narcissus turned and scowled at me. "Who _are_ you?"

"I'm the Super-sized McShizzle man!" I said. "I'm Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme. And the ladies _love_ a bad boy."

"Love a bad boy!" Echo said, with a convincing squeal.

I took out a pen and autographed the arm of one of the nymphs. "Narcissus is a loser! He's so weak, he can't bench-press a Kleenex. He's so lame when you look up _lame_ on Wikipedia, it's got a picture of Narcissus—only the picture's so _ugly_ , no one ever checked it out."

Narcissus knit his handsome eyebrows. His face was turning from bronze to salmon pink. Just as I hoped—at least for the moment—he totally forgotten about the pond and turned to me. When he did, I saw the sheet of bronze sinking into the sand.

"What are you talking about?" Narcissus demanded. "I am amazing. Everyone knows this."

"Amazing at _pure suck_ ," I said. "If I suck as much as you, I'd drown myself. Oh wait, you already did that."

Another nymph giggled. Then another. Narcissus growled, which did make him look a little less handsome. Meanwhile I beamed and wiggled my eyebrows over my goggles and spread my hands, gesturing for applause.

"That's right!" I called out. "Team Leo for the win!"

"Team Leo for the win!" Echo shouted. She wriggled into the mob of nymphs, and because she was so hard to see, the nymphs apparently thought the voice came from one of their own.

"Oh my gods, I am so awesome!"

"So awesome!" Echo yelled back.

"He _is_ funny," a nymph ventured.

"And cute, in a scrawny way," another said.

"Scrawny?" I asked. "Baby, I _invented_ scrawny. Scrawny is the new _sizzling hot_. And I GOT the scrawny. Narcissus? He's such a loser even the Underworld didn't want him. He couldn't get the ghost girls to date him."

"Eww," said the nymph.

"Eww," Echo agreed.

"Stop!" Narcissus got to his feet. "This is not right! This person is obviously not awesome, so he must be…" He struggled for the right words. I guess it been so long since Narcissus said anything that isn't about himself, he was lost for words for the moment. "He must be tricking us.

Apparently, as self-centered as Narcissus is, he wasn't completely stupid. Realization dawned on his face as he turned back to the pond. "The bronze mirror is gone! My reflection! Give me back to me!"

"Team Leo!" one of the nymphs squeaked. But the others returned their attention back to Narcissus.

" _I'm_ the beautiful one!" Narcisus insisted. "He's stolen my mirror, and I'm going to leave unless we get it back!"

The nymphs gasped. One pointed. "There!"

Hazel was at the top of the crater, running away as fast as she could while lugging a large sheet of bronze.

"Get it back!" cried a nymph.

Probably against her will, Echo muttered, "Get it back."

"Yes!" Narcissus unslung his bow and grabbed an arrow from his dusty quiver. "The first one who gets that bronze, I will like you _almost_ as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!"

"Oh my gods!" the Nymphs screamed

I might not have a fan club of my own, but I'm pretty sure that's all he needed to turn most of the Nymphs against Hazel and me.

"And kill those demigods!" Narcissus added, glaring very handsomely at me. "They are _not_ as cool as me!"

And now I feel like I'm facing Maenads again, which leaves me only one thing left to do—run for my life.

…

I could run pretty fast when someone was trying to kill me. Sadly, I'd had a lot of practice.

I overtook Hazel, which was easy since she was struggling with fifty pounds of Celestial bronze. I took one side of the metal plate in order to help her, and glanced back. Narcissus was nocking an arrow, but thank gods it was so old and brittle from years of neglect that it broke into splinters.

"Ow!" he yelled very attractively. "My manicure!"

Normally nymphs were quick—at least the ones at Camp Half-Blood were—but these were burdened with posters, T-shirts and other Narcissus merchandise. The nymphs also weren't great at working as a team. They kept stumbling over one another, pushing and shoving. Echo made things worse by running among them, tripping and tackling as many as she could.

Still, they were closing in rapidly.

I wish had Piper's charmspeak right about now. It could by us time to call Arion and get to the ship. Unfortunately, Piper was still on board of the _Argo II_ , probably enjoying the evening with Jason while making sure Romans don't find them.

"Call Arion!" I gasp

"Already did!" Hazel said.

We ran for the beach and made it to the edge of the water where we could see the _Argo II_. Only problem was that it was too far to swim, even without a toting bronze, and we had no way to get there.

I turned. The mob was coming over the dunes, Narcissus in the lead, holding his bow like a band major's baton. The nymphs had conjured assorted weapons based on—what I can guess—the domain of their nature: rocks for what I can guess Rock Nymphs, wooden clubs wreathed in flowers for the wild flower nymphs, even squirt gun for the water nymphs—which seemed not as terrifying, but by the looks of their face, I didn't want to stay to find out.

"Hold this for a second," I said dropping the bronze as I summoned a jar grayish smelly gunk. "I was hoping not to use this so soon."

"What?"

I threw the jar and then summoned a fireball and threw that as well.

The jar shattered at the Nymphs feet and then sent ablaze when my fireball hit it. Suddenly Fire blazed out in an odor of burning gasoline and rotten carcusses.

"What was that? And why does it stink?" Hazel gagged.

"Myrmekes gunk with a little gasoline mixed into it so it burns more," I said. "A little science experiment of mine."

"This stinks!" Narcissus yelled.

"As you can tell, it's effective," I said, "But it will only buy us a few minutes, and once the burning stops, chances are the nymphs will be angrier than before."

"Angrier than before," Echo repeated. Echo must have got a lead before I burned the Myrmekes gunk because she showed up right next to us.

"Echo?" I could hardly talk with the lump in my throat. "You're one brave nymph."

"Brave nymph?" Her tone made it a question.

"I'm proud to have you on Team Leo," I said.

"If we survive this, you should forget Narcissus."

"Forget Narcissus?" she said uncertainly.

"You're way too good for him."

The fire started burning lower, but the Nymphs were still screaming and gagging from the smell. However, Narcissus somehow managed to organized the nymphs into trying to go around the flames and avoid the smell—if they could

Suddenly sand exploded around them. Arion raced out of nowhere, circling the mob while keeping a distance from the flames so quickly he created a sand storm that kept the nymphs at boy.

"I love this horse," I said.

The nymphs collapsed, coughing and gagging from the combination of burning Myrmekes gunk and white lime. Narcissus stumbled around blindly, swinging his bow with one arm like he was trying to hit a piñata, and holding his nose with the other.

Hazel climbed into the saddle, hoisted up the bronze, and offered me a hand.

"We can't leave Echo!" I said.

"Leave Echo," the nymph repeated.

She smiled, and for the first time I could clearly see her face. She really was pretty. Her eyes were bluer than I'd realized. How had I missed that?

"Why?" I asked. "You don't think you can still save Narcissus…"

"Save Narcissus," she said confidently. And even though it was only an echo, I could tell that she meant it. She'd been given a second chance at life, and she was determined to use it to save the guy she loved—even if he was a completely hopeless (though very handsome) idiot.

I wanted to protest, but Echo leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, then pushed me gently away."

"Leo, come on!" Hazel called.

The flames started burning really low and the nymphs were starting to recover. They coughed the last bit of smoke and wiped the lime out of their eyes which were now glowing green with anger. I looked for Echo again, but she had dissolved into the scenery.

"Yeah," I said, my throat dry. "Yeah, okay."

I climbed up behind Hazel and once I was secure, Arion took off across the water, the nymphs screaming behind us, and Narcissus shouting, "Bring me back! Bring me back!"

As Arion raced toward the _Argo II_ , I remembered what Nemesis had said about Echo and Narcissus: _Perhaps they will teach you a lesson_.

I thought she'd meant Narcissus, but now I wonder if the real lesson for him was Echo—invisible to her brethren, cursed to love someone who didn't care for her. _A seventh wheel_. I tried to shake that thought. I clung to the sheet of bronze like a shield.

I was determined never to forget Echo's face. She deserved at least one person who saw her and knew how good she was. And yet when I closed my eyes, the memory of her smile was already fading.


	9. Piper's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part I**

I didn't want to use my knife. But even sitting here on the deck with my boyfriend, enjoying the evening while keeping an eye out for signs of Romans, I felt useless.

It didn't help that every once in a while Jason noticed Roman Eagles flying through the area—most likely scouts since they didn't attack us, or Coach Gleeson Hedge would come up to make sure Jason and I weren't doing anything inappropriate and shout something that embarrassing before going back below decks humming a military song and possibly reading issues of _Guns & Ammo_ magazine for entertainment since the satellite TV was out or possibly Iris-Messaging his girlfriend Mellie to check up on her. He wasn't a bad chaperone for the most warlike satyr in Camp Half-Blood, but he could lighten up a little bit.

Of course, I was grateful to the satyr. He had helped my dad, movie actor Tristan McLean, get back to his feet, and eased him into the reality of the world after being kidnapped by giants the past winter. A few weeks ago. Hedge had asked his girlfriend, Mellie, to take charge of the Mclean household so he could come along to help with this quest.

Coach Hedge had tried to make it sound like returning to Camp Half-Blood was all his idea, but I had a feeling my dad encouraged it.

The last few weeks, whenever I called home, my dad and Mellie had asked me what was wrong. Maybe something in my voice had tipped them off. Especially my dad. He could always tell when I'm upset.

Ever since I saved my dad from losing his mind, he been more of a father to me ever than before. He's always willing to send my half-siblings from Cabin 10 signed autographs, or send me some new clothes that he knows I prefer and give me any advice he can that might help.

But still, I couldn't share the visions I'd seen in my knife, especially to my dad. They were too disturbing. My mother Aphrodite warned me that Dad would need to be eased into things otherwise he could go into a relapse, and I fear if I shared the visions I saw in the knife, the thought of me being part of what I saw would just do that to my dad.

Coach wouldn't admit it, but I wouldn't be surprise there were a few close calls of relapses. After all, my dad was one of many mortals who can't accept the reality of there being gods and would lose their minds the moment they found out. In fact, if it wasn't for the healing potion I gave him, dad would have lost his mind.

I shouldn't draw my blade. It would make things feel worse.

Finally, the temptation was too great. So when Jason went to check on the hull by Coach Hedge's order (probably to really make sure nothing he won't like is going on), I unsheathed Katoptris. It didn't look very special, just a triangular blade with an unadorned hilt, but it had once been owned by Helen of Troy. The dagger's name meant "looking glass."

I gazed at the bronze blade. At first, I saw only my own reflection. Then the light rippled across the metal and I saw a crowd of Roman demigods gathered in the forum. The blond scarecrow-looking kid, Octavian, was speaking to the mob, shaking his fist. I couldn't hear him, but the gist was obvious: _We need to kill those Greeks!_

Reyna, the praetor stood to one side, her face was suppressed with bitterness and anger, but I caught onto something else in her eyes—uncertainty. As if she was still uncertain what really happened. Perhaps Reyna sense there was more to the attack than just plainly Leo firing onto New Rome. Whether or not she knew Gaea might be behind this, I don't know.

Too be honest, I'd been prepared to hate Reyna, but I couldn't. During the feast in the forum, I admired the way Reyna kept her feelings in check.

Reyna had sized up Jason's and min relationship right away. As daughter of Aphrodite, I could tell stuff like that. Yet Reyna had stayed polite and in control. She'd put her camp's needs ahead of her emotions. She'd given the Greeks a fair chance… right up until something possessed Leo into firing onto her city.

Reyna almost made me guilty about being Jason's girlfriend, though that was silly. Jason reassured me that he and Reyna never been his girlfriend, and although I got a feeling there might have been something between them before it wasn't there now, at least not like how Jason felt about me.

Still, the fact my charmspeak did little to nothing to calm the Romans down during the attacks didn't calm me down now. Aphrodite told me with the Charmspeak ability I was like a peacekeeper of the seven, but how am I suppose to keep peace between the seven of us when I can't calm down Romans.

My fear was, I felt that perhaps maybe I didn't try hard enough. I had never wanted to make friends with the Romans. I was too worried about losing Jason to his old life. Silena Beauregard—the current head counsellor of Cabin 10 and one of few children of Aphrodite I'm willing to look to as my sibling despite dressing like the popular girls I often have fights with back in school—warn me that any cause of hesitations or doubts—no matter if its consciously subconsciously or unconsciously—could make the charmspeak ineffective, and I fear I just did that.

Now caused of it, the ship is almost destroyed and according to my dagger, our worse fears were coming true. That crazy teddy-bear-strangling kid, Octavian, was whipping the Romans into a war frenzy.

The scene in my blade shifted. There was a rapid series of images I'd seen before, but I still didn't understand them: Jason riding into battle on horseback, his eyes gold instead of blue; a woman that I have a feeling I should now, in an old fashion Southern belle dress, standing in an ocean side park with palm trees; a bull with a face of a bearded man, rising out of the river; and two giants in matching yellow togas, hoisting a rope on a pulley system, lifting a large bronze vase out of a pit.

Then came the worst vision: I saw myself Jason and Percy, standing waist-deep in water at the bottom of a dark circular chamber, like a giant well. Ghostly shapes moved through the water as it rose rapidly. I clawed at the walls, trying to escape, but there was nowhere to go. The water reached to our chests. Jason was pulled under. Percy managed to uncapped the thermos strapped to his belt for reasons I don't know before stumbling and disappeared.

How could a child of the sea god drown? Why would Percy uncap his thermos? I don't know, but I watched myself in the vision, alone and thrashing in the dark until the water rose over my head.

I shut my eyes. _Don't show me that again,_ I pleaded. _Show me something helpful._

I forced myself to look at the blade again.

This time, I saw an empty highway cutting between fields of wheat and sunflowers. A mileage marker read: TOPEKA 32. On the shoulder of the road stood a man in khaki shorts and a purple camp shirt. His face was lost in the shadow of a broad hat, the brim wreathed in leafy vines. He held up a silver goblet and beckoned to me. Somehow I knew he was offering me something, but what?

"Are you all right Piper?" Jason asked climbing on top.

I quickly sheathed my knife. "Yeah, I'm fine!"

Jason watched me closely but nodded. "Well Coach Hedge finally decided to send me back up when he caught the scent of burning Myrmekes Gunk."

I frowned. "Burning Myrmekes gunk—I didn't burn any though—"

At that moment a tan blur appeared on the deck of the ship with a sound of a horse galloping on the deck. Hazel and Leo appeared on top of Hazel's tan stallion Arion carrying a large sheet of hammered bronze.

"Gods of Olympus," I stared at Leo. "What happened to _you_?"

His hair was greased back. He had welding goggles on his forehead, a lipstick mark on his cheek, tattoos all over his arms, and a T-shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO.

"Long story," he said. "Others back?"

"Not yet," I said.

Leo cursed. "Well, in that case, we might need some Myrmekes gunk up here pronto—maybe some matches too since I'll be working on the ship."

"I'll get it," Jason said, "You go ahead and get started on repairing the ship."

Leo nodded and slid off Arion's back. Hazel handed the sheet of bronze to him before he and Jason ran off bellow deck. Jason soon followed to the storage room where we kept the Myrmekes gunk.

I raised an eyebrow at Hazel. _"Team Leo?"_

"We met Narcissus," Hazel said, which didn't really explain much. "Also Nemesis, the revenge goddess."

"Ethan Nakamura's mom?" I asked before remembering Hazel never met him.

Leo must have already explain about Ethan to her because Hazel nodded.

Suddenly a shadow flew over us and Hazel and I drew our weapons only too see it was Hazel's boyfriend: Frank in his dragon form; with Percy and Annabeth following behind them on Percy's pegasus: Blackjack.

Frank was the first to land in a _THUMP_ and transformed back into human form before Blackjack landed on the deck in a _clump-clump-clump_.

"What happen to you guys?" Hazel asked this time.

All three of them had some kind of black sticky stuff and sludge on them. Percy was holding five-gallon steaming hot plastic buckets of what I hoped was roofing tar.

"We ran into some tar monsters," Annabeth said. "Where's Leo?"

I pointed to the staircase down below. "Engine room. Jason's also getting some Myrmekes gunk and matches."

For a moment Frank froze when he heard _matches_ before calming down.

Percy frowned. "Myrmekes gunk… why do—"

Suddenly the entire ship listed to port and we stumbled. Even Blackjack and Arion struggled to stay on board for a moment.

"Uh, what was that?" Percy asked.

"Oh…" Hazel looked embarrassed. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like… _all_ of them."

"Great," Percy turned to Frank and Annabeth. "You guys go help Leo, I'll hold off the water spirits as long as I can."

"On it!"

Annabeth and Percy slid off Blackjack and Percy handed them the roofing tar before running off, leaving just Hazel and me.

Jason stumbled aboard with a bag full of jars of Myrmekes Gunk and box full of matches in the other. He must have had a run in with Annabeth and Frank because he asked, "Where's Percy?"

Hazel pointed off where Percy ran and Jason soon followed, which left Hazel and me again. Coach Hedge soon followed, probably excited for some action since he just ran toward the direction Jason went waving his club.

"So—I take this Narcissus guy and the Nymphs attacking us is connected?" I asked.

Hazel nodded, still hiding her embarrassment. Then the ship listed again, and Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick.

"I just…" she swallowed and pointed weakly down the stairway before running off, just leaving me alone again, which didn't improve my mood from earlier.

I could hear Percy and Jason shouting about something. Coach Hedge probably wasn't helping by threatening the lake.

I didn't know what Leo Annabeth and Frank were doing down bellow but after what seemed like hours, the engine began to hum. The oars creaked and groaned, and I felt the ship lifted into the air.

The rocking and shaking stopped. The ship became quiet except for the sound of the machinery that could be heard up on deck. Finally, Leo emerged on deck. He was caked with sweat, lime dust, and tar. His T-shirt looked like it been caught in an escalator and chewed to shreds. The TEAM LEO on his chest now read: AM LEO. But he grinned like a madman and announced we were safely underway.

"Tell Jason and Percy there's a meeting in the mess hall in one hour," he said. "Oh and Annabeth told me to tell you to remind Percy and Jason that since we're in the air, Jason gets the head chair."

…

After all of us had cleaned up, and Arion and Blackjack took off to gods knows where; Coach Hedge took the helm and all of us gathered below for dinner. Even though it was our second meeting, I still can't get over the fact that the seven of us in the dinning room meant only one thing: the Prophecy of Seven was unfolding and that we were underway with a bunch of angry Romans behind us and the ancient lands ahead. The giants would be waiting. Gaea was rising. And unless we succeed in this quest, the world would be destroyed.

The others must have sensed it too because now that the ship was repaired and we were on our way, there was a new tension in the mess hall. Only good news is that Percy was glad to give the head seat to Jason since we were in Jupiter's domain. Which turned out a good thing since last time they tried to sit in the head chair and sparks literally flew from Jason's hands and Percy gave Jason a stare that—Jason later told me—resembles of how Lupa's wolves do when they're staring down his rival, before Annabeth stepped in.

Once we were comfortable, we started comparing notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked Narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group. Although, Percy did have a comment to the part where Narcissus got his fan club of nymphs to chase after Leo and Hazel.

"I can believe Narcissus would do that," Percy said, "According to the ancient stories, even before Nemesis cursed him, Narcissus would pretend to hook up with a poor girl just to use her before breaking her heart."

Percy started glaring at his piece of pie, which for some reason was completely blue—filling, crust, even the whip cream. I got this feeling Percy knew someone who been used like that and judging from Annabeth's expression she was understood too.

"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."

Percy nodded finally taking a bite of his blue pie. "We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter, too," he said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City."

"We noticed them too," Jason said. "I think they're scouting eagles, which means the Romans aren't far behind us."

That didn't improve the mood around the table. I didn't want to say anything, but I felt obliged… and a little guilty. "I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans? Maybe—maybe if I tried harder with the charmspeak—"

Jason took my hand. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly. "It had to be Gaea's doing. We knew that she was trying to start a war between the two camps. We just didn't know how after stopping her previous plans."

"To kill Hera in the Wolf house with Piper and Leo there, right?" Percy asked.

Jason nodded.

"Reyna might believe us, but with no proof, I doubt the rest of the Romans would," Annabeth said.

"Especially Octavian," Hazel said still looking sick. "He would turn your word against us, and since Frank and I left with you guys, we would be seen as traitors."

I stared at my own dinner. The magical plates could conjure up a great selection of vegetarian stuff. I especially liked the avocado and grilled pepper quesadilla, but tonight I didn't have much of an appetite.

I thought about the visions I'd seen in my knife: Jason with golden eyes; the bull with a human head; two giants in yellow togas hoisting a bronze jar from the pit. Worst of all, I remembered myself drowning in black water.

I had always liked the water. I had good memories of surfing with my dad. But since I'd started seeing that vision in Katoptris, I'd been thinking more and more of an old Cherokee story my granddad used to tell to keep her away from the river near his cabin. He told me the Cherokees believed in good water spirits, like the naiads of the Greeks; but they also believed in evil water spirits, the water cannibals, who hunted mortals with invisible arrows and were especially fond of drowning small children.

"We have to keep going," I said. "Not just because of the Romans. We have to hurry."

Hazel nodded. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."

Jason frowned. "You mean _Rome_ Rome, not New Rome?"

"I think," Hazel said. "But if so, that's not much time."

"Why six days?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome"

No one answered. I didn't want to add further bad news, but I felt I had to.

"There's more," I said. "I've been seeing some things in my knife."

The big kid, Frank froze with a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "This such as…?"

"They don't really make sense," I said. "just garbled images, but I saw two giant, dressed alike. Maybe twins."

Percy grew a ponderous expression, like something occurred to him. "In ancient times, there were two twin Giants. Back then they weren't banes of any Olympian, but if I had to guess, I would say Gaea rose them to be Banes of Dionysus."

Leo frowned. "How can they not be a bane of Dionysus back then but now are?"

"Because during the First Giant War Dionysus wasn't an Olympian. He was a demigod, just like us," I remembered the story. "It wasn't until after the Giant War when he destroyed the twin giants, Zeus offered him immortality and a seat among the Olympians."

"Which Lady Hestia gave up to Dionysus in order to keep peace among his family," Annabeth said looking at the feed from Camp Half-Blood, mainly at the Hearth of Hestia, "If they were raised to be the twin banes of Mr. D, they could be the twins from Ella's prophecy. If only we could make sense of the rest of the prophecy."

 _"Wisdom's daughter walks alone,"_ Percy said. _"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome._ Annabeth, that got to mean you. Juno told me… well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. A test to prove yourself among the seven. Just as Hazel Frank and I were tested by going to Alaska and free Thantos."

"And Piper Leo and I were tested by saving Piper's dad and freeing Hera," Jason said.

Percy nodded. "Juno said she doubted Annabeth could do it. But I know she's wrong. I know you can do it, Annabeth."

Annabeth smiled a little hearing that, but quickly covered that as if something else came to her mind. She then took a long breath. "Reyna was about to tell me something right before the ship fired on us. She said there was an old legend among Roman praetors—something that had to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along.

Leo and Hazel exchanged nervous looks.

"Nemesis mention something similar," Leo said. "She talked about an old score that had to be settled—"

"The only thing that might bring the gods' two natures into balance," Hazel recalled. "An old wrong finally avenged."

Percy frowned for a bit. "I was only praetor for a day. Jason, you ever hear a legend like that?"

Jason was still holding my hand. His fingers had turned clammy.

"I… uh, I'm not sure," he said. "I'll give it some thought."

"Um… Sure. Tell us when you're ready then, I guess," Percy said.

Jason didn't respond. I wanted to ask him what was wrong. I could tell he didn't want to discuss this old legend. I caught his eye, and he pleaded silently, _Later_.

I doubt Percy believed him either. Then I remember that Jason's sister Thalia practically looked after Percy and Annabeth when they were on the run. I also remember how it was Percy that first figured out that Thalia had a lost brother. Percy probably recognized some of Jason's signs of keeping information from Thalia.

Fortunately, Hazel stepped in. "What about the other lines?" She turned her ruby encrusted plate. _"Twins snuffed out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death."_

 _"Giants' bane stands gold and pale,"_ Frank added. _"Won through pain from a woven jail._ "

"Well, I doubt the _Giants' Bane_ refers to the Giant twins alone," Percy said. "Most likely, it's referring to what could bring peace between Greeks and Romans since the two camps working together could put an end to Gaea's plan."

"Hey, anything that's a giants' bane is good for us, right?" Leo asked.

Percy nodded, "But we still can't kill the giants without the help of the gods. The only reason Frank and Hazel were able to defeat Alcyoneus was because he was only immortal in the territory where he was reborn—Alaska."

I gazed at the walls. I really wished Leo didn't enchanted them with images of Camp Half-Blood. It was like a doorway to home that I could never go through. I watched the Hearth of Hestia burning in the middle of the green as the cabins turned off their lights for curfew.

I wondered how Frank and Hazel felt about those images. They never been to Camp Half-Blood. Did it seem alien to them, or unfair that Camp Jupiter wasn't represented? Did it make them miss their own home?

The other lines of the prophecy turned in my mind. What was a woven jail? How could twins snuff out an angel's breath? The key to endless death didn't sound very cheerful, either.

"So…" Leo pushed his chair away from the table. "First thing first, I guess. We'll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs."

"Someplace close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"

No one spoke. I remember my vision in the knife: the strange man in purple, holding out a goblet and beckoning to me. He'd been standing in front of a sign that read TOPEKA 32.

"Well," I ventured, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"


	10. Piper's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part II**

I had trouble falling asleep.

Coach Hedge spent the first hour after curfew doing his nightly duty, walking up and down the passageway yelling, "Lights out! Settle down! Try to sneak out, and I'll smash you back to Long Island!"

He banged his baseball bat against a cabin door whenever he heard noise, shouting at everyone to go to sleep, which made it impossible for _anyone_ to go to sleep. I figured this was the most fun the satyr had had since he pretended to be a gym teacher at the Wilderness School.

I stared at the bronze beams on the ceiling. My cabin was pretty cozy. Leo had programmed their quarters to adjust automatically to the occupant's preferred temperature, so it was never too cold or too hot. The mattress and pillows were stuffed with pegasus down (no pegasi were harmed in the making of these products, Leo assured me), so they were über-comfortable. A bronze lantern hung from the ceiling, glowing at whatever brightness I wished. The lantern's sides were perforated with pinholes, so at night glimmering constellations drifted across my walls.

I had so many thoughts on my mind, I thought I'd never sleep. But there was something peaceful about the rocking of the boat and the drone of the aerial oars as we scooped through the sky.

Finally, my eyelids got heavy, and I drifted off.

It seemed only a few seconds had passed before I woke to the breakfast bell.

"Yo, Piper!" Leo knocked on my door. "We're landing!"

"Landing?" I sat up groggily.

Leo opened my door and poked his head in. He had his hand over his eyes, which would've been a nice gesture if he hadn't been peeking through his fingers. "You decent?"

"Leo!"

"Sorry." He grinned. "Hey, nice Power Ranger jammies."

"They are not Power Rangers! They're Cherokee eagles!"

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, we're settling down a few miles outside Topeka, as requested," He said.

"Thanks," I responded.

From above, Coach Hedge yelled, "Thar she blows! Kansas, ahoy!"

"Holy Hephaestus," Leo muttered. "He really needs to work on his shipspeak. I'd better get above deck."

…

By time I had showered, changed, and grabbed a bagel from the mess hall, I could hear the ship's landing gear extending. I climbed on deck to joined the others as the _Argo II_ settled in the middle of a field of sunflowers. The oars retracted. The gangplank lowered itself.

The morning air smelled of irritation, warm plants, and fertilized earth. Not a bad smell. It reminded me of Grandpa Tom's place in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, back on the reservation.

Percy was the first to noticed me. He smiled in a greeting, which for some reason surprised me. He was wearing faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. That along with his leather necklace containing the nine beads representing his nine years at Camp Half-Blood, it looked as if he'd never been away from the Greek side.

He seemed more calm and relax than from yesterday, like he was ready to face whatever the world throws at him as long as he can enjoy the moment. Of course that might be because of the fact he was standing at the rail with his arm around Annabeth.

I was happy to see Annabeth with a sparkle in her eyes, because I had never had a better friend. For months, Annabeth had been tormenting herself, her every waking moment consumed with the search for Percy. Now, despite the dangerous quest we were facing, at least she had her boyfriend back.

"So!" Annabeth plucked the bagel out of my hand and took a bite, which didn't bother me. Back at camp, we'd had a running joke about stealing each other's breakfast. "Here we are. What's the plan?"

"I want to check out the highway," I said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best as we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"

I explained what I'd seen in the knife—the man in purple with goblet. I kept quiet about the other images, though, like the vision of Percy, Jason, and myself drowning. I wasn't sure what it meant, anyway; and everyone seemed in such good spirits this morning, I didn't want ruin the mood.

"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? Sound like Bacchus."

"Mr. D's Roman form?" Percy asked. "I should count my blessings that Mr. D and I made peace the last two years."

"Bacchus isn't so bad," Jason said. "I don't like his followers much…"

I shuddered as Jason's, Leo's, and my encounter with the Meanads was still fresh on my mind.

"But the god himself is okay," Jason continued. "I did him a favor once up in the wine country."

"I'll take your word for it," Percy said in a tone that says 'I'll believe it when I see it'.

"What did you do to make peace with Mr. D?" Jason asked.

"I did a couple of return favors I owed him by keeping his twin sons Pollux and Castor alive during the Titan War," Percy said. "And I may have suggested for him to take advantage of his suspension from Olympus to train demigod to be the heroes he may seem fit."

"Seriously?" I asked.

Percy shrugged. "All he ever done before was complained how heroes ended up being the kind that use people to get their way and never done anything about it, even when he was Camp Director. And after hearing him compare me too—" Percy stopped himself as if he was deciding it was best off not bringing whatever he was about to say to himself, "Anyways, I just finally snapped one day and told him he should use his position as Camp Director to _do_ something about it and instead of destroying me, he started taking it to consideration."

Frank grunted like he admired Percy's courage to speak out. The big guy was wearing a blue tracksuit this morning, like he was ready to go for a jog in the sunflowers.

"Still, if the gods _have_ gone schizophrenic like Hazel said—"

"And _Leo_ said," added Leo.

Frank scowled him. "Then who knows what's going on with the Olympians? Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."

"Sounds dangerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully. "Well… you guys have fun. I've got to finish the repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And, uh, Annabeth—I could really use your help. You're the only other person who ever _sort of_ understand engineering."

Annabeth looked apologetically at Percy. "He's right. I should stay and help."

"I'll come back to you." He kissed her on the cheek. "Promise."

They were so easy together, it made my heart ache.

Jason was great, of course. But sometimes he acted so distant, like last night, when he'd been reluctant to talk about the old Roman legend. So often he seemed to be thinking of his old life at Camp Jupiter. I wonder if I would ever be able to break through that barrier.

The trip to Camp Jupiter, seeing Reyna in person, hadn't helped either. Neither did the fact that Jason had chosen to wear a purple shirt today—the colors of the Romans.

Frank slid his bow off his shoulder and propped it against the rail. "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for more Roman Eagle Scouts."

"Why a crow?" Leo asked. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time? That's the coolest."

Frank's faced looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. It was as if something in him was encouraging him to beat up Leo but he was fighting back the urge. "That's like asking why don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it's hard, and you'd heart yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."

"Oh." Leo nodded. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."

"Yeah. Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr.—"

Hazel stepped between them.

"I'll help you, Frank," she said, shooting Leo an evil look. "I can summon Arion and scout around below."

"Sure," Frank said, still glaring at Leo. "Yeah. Thanks."

I wondered what was going on with those three. The boys showing off for Hazel and razzing each other— _that_ I understood. But it almost seemed like Hazel and Leo had a history, which made no sense since they just met yesterday. I wondered if something else had happened on their trip to the Great Salt Lake—something they hadn't mention.

Hazel turned to Percy. "Just be careful when you go out there. Lots of fields, lots of crops. Could be _karpoi_ on the loose."

"Don't worry. I'll stock up on Myrmekes gunk before we leave," Percy said. "I doubt even they can stand the smell of rotting carcasses."

 _"Karpoi?"_ I asked.

"Grain spirits," Hazel said. "You don't want to meet them."

I didn't see how a grain spirit could be so bad, but Hazel's tone convince me not to ask.

"Good idea on stocking up on Myrmekes Gunk," Jason agreed. "We shouldn't risk anything out there. Piper, since it's your vision, you should take the lead."

I shivered. I'd seen the three of us drowning in that dark well. Was Kansas where it would happen? That didn't seem right, but I couldn't be sure.

"Of course," I said, trying to sound upbeat. "Let's find the highway."

…

Leo need to work on his idea of 'close' because at this point I doubt we were close at all.

After trudging half a mile through hot fields, getting bitten by mosquitoes and whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers, we finally reached the road. An old billboard for Bubba's Gas 'n' Grub indicated that we were still forty miles from the first Topeka Exit.

"You got to be kidding me!" Percy responded. "That means we have eight miles to walk!"

Jason peered both ways down the deserted road. He brought the _gladius_ Hera gave him last winter strapped to his belt. Most guys would look pretty awkward walking around with a scabbard strapped to their jeans, but on Jason it seemed perfectly natural.

"No cars…" he said. "But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."

"No," I agreed, gazing nervously down the highway. "We've already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea's territory."

"Hmm…" Jason snapped his fingers. "Percy, can you call your pegasus over?"

"Blackjack? Yeah!" Percy said, "What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking I can call a friend of mine for a ride and you call your pegasus so we can get there over air," Jason said. "That way it be easier than the three of us riding one ride."

Percy smirked at the idea. "Sure. I'm in for that idea."

Jason whistled. I knew what he was doing, but he'd succeeded in summoning Tempest only three times since we'd met the storm spirit at the Wolf House last winter. Today, the sky was so blue, I didn't know how it work.

Percy whistled for Blackjack too, but I don't know if Blackjack was in hearing range.

I hadn't studied Percy up close before. I'd seen a photo of him before Hera took him at Chiron's office, and honestly, other than a few differences, he still wasn't that impressive next to Jason.

Percy had brought the wristwatch-shield Annabeth returned to him that was strapped to his left wrist, along with his trusty pen-sword which I guess was in his pocket, a backpack containing Myrmekes Gunk, and his Celestial bronze thermos that was strapped on his belt. Ever since the dark well vision, I got an uneasy feeling about that thing. I don't know what it can do, but something told me it doesn't suck up water like vacuum cleaner.

He still had a body built of a skater dude and an athletic swimmer. He still had the look of a troublemaker with a glimmer of intellect in his eyes. Until last night I thought it was more of the fact that he had nine years of training—same as Annabeth. But after last night's meeting when Percy brought up about Narcissus and the twin giant banes of Dionysus, I realized that he was smarter than he looks. He still isn't my type, but I can see how Annabeth liked him and after learning about how Percy speak out on Dionysus, I see why he need Annabeth in his life. Percy can be out of control and unpredictable when pushed, and if anyone could bring him back under control it was Annabeth.

Finally Blackjack showed up.

"Geez, Blackjack. I send you off just last night, where did you go?" Percy complained.

Blackjack snorted.

"Of course you did," Percy grumbled.

I already became aware of Percy's ability to speak to horses, but it still amazed me.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He went to scout out for donuts," Percy said, "Blackjack loves donuts."

Thunder crackled in the clear sky as the air turned cold. My ears popped. About fifty yards away, a miniature cyclone three stories tall tore across the tops of the sunflowers like a scene from _The Wizard of Oz._ It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse—a misty steed with lightning flickering through its body.

"Tempest," Jason said, grinning broadly. "Long time, my friend."

The storm spirit reared and whinnied. Blackjack backed up skittishly.

"Easy, boy," Percy said. "He's a friend too." He gave Jason an impressed look. "Nice ride, bro."

Jason shrugged. "I made friends with him during our fight at the Wolf House. He's a free spirit, literally, but once in a while he agrees to help me."

Percy and Jason climbed on their respective horses. I had never been comfortable with Tempest. Riding full gallop on a beast that could vaporize at any moment made me a bit nervous. Nevertheless, I accepted Jason's hand to climb on.

Tempest raced down the road with Blackjack soaring overhead. Fortunately, we didn't pass any cars, or we might have caused a wreck. In no time, we arrived at the thirty-two-mile marker, which looked exactly as I had seen in my vision.

Blackjack landed. Both horses pawed the asphalt. Neither looked pleased to have stopped so suddenly, just when they'd found their stride.

Blackjack whinnied.

"You're right," Percy said, "No sign of the wine dude."

"I beg your pardon?" said a voice from the fields.

Tempest turned so quickly, I almost fell off.

The wheat parted, and the man from my vision stepped into view. He wore a wide-brimmed hat wreathed in grapevines, a purple short-sleeved shirt, Khaki shorts, and Birkenstocks with white socks. He looked maybe thirty, with a slight potbelly, like a frat boy who hadn't yet realized college wasn't over.

"Did someone just call me the _wine dude?"_ he asked in a lazy drawl. "It's Bacchus, please. Or Mr. Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don't-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus. Now, who are you, and where is Ceres?"

Jason nodded respectfully to the god. "Lord Bacchus, do you remember me? I helped you with that missing leopard in Sonoma."

Bacchus scratched his stubby chin. "Ah… yes. John Green."

"Jason Grace."

"Whatever," the god said. "Did Ceres send you, then?"

"No, Lord Bacchus," Jason said. "Were you expecting to meet her here?"

The god snorted. "Well, I didn't come to Kansas to _party_ , my boy. Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The _karpoi_ are in revolt. Even my grapes aren't safe. Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war."

"Sounds serious," Percy said.

The god narrowed his eyes. "Have we met?"

"Not in this form, no sir," Percy said. "But we do have some history."

"Agh!" Bacchus winced and pressed his hands to his temples. For a moment, his image flickered. I saw a different person—fatter, dumpier, in a much louder, leopard-patterned shirt. Then Bacchus returned to being Bacchus. "Again with these headaches! Do you have any idea how _hard_ it is to stay focus with these splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I'm doing or where I'm going! Constantly grumpy."

"Sounds like—never mind," Percy cut short, but I had a feeling he was about to bring up Mr. D.

"Lord Bacchus!" I said, slipping off Tempest's back."

"Piper, careful," Jason said.

I shot him a warning glance: _I've got this_.

"Sorry to trouble you, my lord," I told the god, "but actually we came here to get your advice. Please, we need your wisdom."

I used my most agreeable tone, pouring respect into my charmspeak.

The god frowned, but he didn't look angry. "You're well-spoken, girl. Advice, eh? Very well. I would avoid karaoke. Really, theme parties in general are out. In these austere times, people are looking for a simple, low-key affair, with locally produced organic snacks and—"

"We appreciate the incredibly useful advice, Lord Bacchus, but we don't need advice in parties," I said. "We're hoping you'd help us on our quest."

I explained about the _Argo II_ and our voyage to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. I told him what Nemesis had said: that in six days, Rome would be destroyed. I described the vision reflected in my knife, where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet.

"Silver goblet?" the god didn't sound very excited. He grabbed a Diet Pepsi from nowhere and popped the top of the can. "About this vision of the goblet, young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want a Pepsi. Jupiter has put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors. Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought the first Giant War, you know."

"Yeah, we know," Percy said. "You helped destroyed the twin giants who tried to pile rocks on each other to reach Olympus using the _thyrsus_."

Bacchus nodded. His Diet Pepsi transformed into a five-foot staff wreathed in ivy and topped with a pinecone—the _thyrsus._

I seen a weapon like that before, but in the hands of Maenads, and I wasn't thrilled to see one again, but I tried to look impress. "Oh, what a mighty weapon!"

"Indeed," Bacchus agreed. "The pinecone is a fearsome tool of destruction. I was a demigod myself in the first Giant War, you know. The son of Jupiter!"

Jason flinched. Probably he wasn't thrilled to be reminded that the Wine Dude was technically his big brother. Percy gave him a look that said: _I know how you feel bro._

Bacchus swung his staff through the air, though his potbelly almost threw him off balance. "Of course that was long before I invented wine and became an immortal. I fought side by side with the gods and some other demigod… Harry Cleese, I think."

"Heracles?" Piper suggested politely.

"Whatever," Bacchus said. "Anyway, I killed the giant Ephialtes and his brother Otis. Horrible boors, those two. Pinecone in the face for both of them!"

"And because of it, they became your Banes—the ones Gaea plans to replace you with," Percy said.

"Perhaps," Bacchus shrugged. "Although if they do, they will do a horrible job."

I held my breath. All at once several ideas come together in my head—the visions in the knife. I felt like I used to when I was scuba diving with my father, and he would wipe my mask underwater. Suddenly, everything was clearer.

I turned to Jason and I could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"Lord Bacchus, you're the reason we're here," I told the god. "You're part of our quest!"

Bacchus frowned. "I'm sorry, my girl. I'm not a demigod anymore. I don't _do_ quest."

"But giants can only be killed by heroes and gods working together," I insisted. "You're a god now, and the two giants we have to fight are Ephialtes and Otis. I think… I think they're waiting for us in Rome. They're going to destroy the city somehow. The silver goblet I saw in my vision—maybe it's meant as a symbol for your help. You _have_ to help us kill the giants!"

Bacchus glared at me and I saw purple flames in his eyes, and I realized I had picked my words poorly.

"What Piper means—" Percy forced Blackjack to stepped forward, "Is maybe we can do something to gain your assistance against Ephialtes and Otis. A favor or dept."

Bacchus flames died down form his eyes as he turned to Percy. "Greek, I don't require favors, and for what you ask a dept is not enough. For my help against the giants, you need to give me proper tribute, which no one has managed to do in many, many centuries."

Blackjack whinnied uneasily.

I couldn't blame him. I didn't like the sound of _tribute_. I still remember the maenads last winter and they were in a good mood.

"What kind of tribute?" Percy asked.

Bacchus waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing _you_ can handle. But I will give you some free advice, since this girl does have _some_ manners, and you have entertain me with your mortal intellect. Seek out Gaea's son, Phorcys. He always hated his mother, not that I can blame him. He didn't have much use for his sibling twins either. You'll find him in the city they named after that heroine—Atalanta."

I hesitated. "You mean Atlanta?"

"That's the one."

"But this Phorcys," Jason said. "Is he a giant? A titan?"

Bacchus laughed. "Neither. Seek out the salt water. If anyone can give you inside on Gaea and the twins it's Phorcys. Just watch out for him."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked. "How is there Salt Water in Atlanta?"

The god glanced at the sun, which had climbed almost to high noon. "It's unlike Ceres to be late, unless she sense something dangerous in the area. Or…"

The god's face suddenly went slack. "Or a trap. Well, I must be going! And if I were you, I'd do the same!"

"Lord Bacchus, wait!" Jason protested.

The god shimmered and disappeared with a sound like a soda-can top being popped.

The wind rustled through the sunflowers. The horses paced in agitation. Despite the dry, hot day, I shivered. I felt the same cold feeling Annabeth and Leo had described.

"Bacchus is right," I said. "We need to leave—"

 _Too late,_ said a sleepy voice, humming through the fields all around us and resonating in the ground at my feet.

Percy and Jason drew their swords, and Percy it the button on his wristwatch and his shield spiraled out—the same shield Annabeth had during Percy's disappearance with carvings of adventures.

I stood on the road between them, frozen with fear. The power of Gaea was suddenly everywhere. The sunflowers turned to look at us. The wheat bent toward us like a million scythes.

 _Welcome to my party,_ Gaea murmured. Her voice reminded me of corn growing—a crackling, hissing, hot and persistent noise I used to ear at Grandpa Tom's on those nights in Oklahoma.

 _What did Bacchus say?_ The goddess mocked. _A simple, low-key affair with organic snacks? Yes. For my snacks, I need only two: the blood of a female demigod, and the blood of a male. Even with the Mark of Achilles, I can still obtain blood from Percy, but Piper, my dear, you must choose which if he or Jason will die with you._

"Gaea!" Jason yelled. "Stop hiding in the wheat. Show yourself!"

 _Such bravado,_ Gaea hissed. _But the other one, Percy Jackson, also has appeal. Choose, Piper McLean, or I will._

My heart raced. Gaea meant to kill me. That was no surprise. But the way Gaea was talking—I felt like I was dealing with Medea all over again.

"You're insane!" I shouted. "I'm not choosing anything for you!"

Suddenly Jason gasped. He sat up straight in his saddle."

"Jason!" I cried. "What's wrong—?"

He looked down at me, his expression deadly calm. His eyes were no longer blue. They glowed solid gold—like the vision in my knife.

"Percy, help!" I stumbled back from Tempest.

But Percy galloped away from us. He stood thirty feet down the road and wheeled his pegasus around. He raised his sword and pointed the tip toward Jason.

 _"One will die,"_ Percy said, but the voice wasn't his. It was deep and hollow, like someone whispering from inside the barrel of a cannon.

 _"I will choose,"_ Jason answered, in the same hollow voice.

"No!" I yelled.

All around me, the fields crackled and hissed laughing in Gaea's voice as Percy and Jason charged at each other, their weapons ready.


	11. Piper's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part III**

Annabeth once told me that everyone had this flaw in their personality that clouds our judgment—a fatal flaw. Not all of them start off bad at first, but if a pushed so far through their flaw, it can become an issue; and that it's even deadlier for demigods.

If I had to guess what mine was, with how Gaea been pushing me to choose who to live and who should die between friends and family, mine was Personal Loyalty.

There are ways to overcome it, at least that's what Annabeth told me, but right now I have no idea how to overcome it and help Jason and Percy right now.

Jason and Percy charged at each other, and if it wasn't for Tempest and Blackjack balked along for me to leap out of the way, I would've died.

I rolled to the edge of the road and looked back, dazed and horrified, as the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze. Sparks flew their blades blurred—strike and parried—and the pavement trembled. Every so often I caught glimpse of Jason going for Percy's left, which he blocked with his shield. The first exchange took only a second, but I couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other—Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.

"Stop it!" I yelled.

For a moment, Jason heeded my voice. His golden eyes turned toward me, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into Jason. Thank the gods, Percy turned his sword—maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally—so the flat of it hit Jason's chest; but the impact was still enough to knock Jason off his mount.

Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapor.

Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.

"Percy!" I yelled. "Jason is your friend—your brother! Drop your weapon!"

Percy's sword arm dipped. I might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately Jason got to his feet.

Jason roared. A bolt of lightning arched out of the clear blue sky and ricocheted off his _gladius_. Percy used his shield to try and defend it, but the force still knocked him off his horse and send his shield flying.

Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields. Jason charged at Percy, who was on his back. However Percy uncapped his thermos and a water blast fired out of it and hit Jason, sending him flying back.

For a horrible moment, I couldn't find my voice. Gaea seemed to be whispering to me: _You must choose one. Why not let Jason kill him? All it would take is one strike._

I had no clue what Gaea mean by that, but something told me Gaea wasn't lying.

"No!" I screamed. "Jason, Percy stop!"

The two boys were about to go into another clash but they froze.

Jason turned to me, the golden light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. _"We cannot stop. One must die."_

Something about that voice… it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was it's second language.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

This time Percy spoke with a gruesome smile. _"We are the eidolons. We will live again."_

"Eidolons…?" My mind raced. I'd studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood and read all the Greek stories with my dad, but that term wasn't familiar. "You're—you're some sort of ghost?"

 _"He must die."_ Both Eidolons spoke through Jason and Percy as they turned to continue fighting.

I need to end this quickly, but I don't think eidolins weren't letting go. I remembered how Percy just used his thermos use the water blast to knock Jason away.

I forced myself to focus. I poured all of my anger into my voice. "Eidolon, stop."

Both Percy and Jason froze.

"Face me," I ordered.

Both boys turned. Percy's eyes were gold instead of green, and just like Jason his face was pale and cruel, nothing like Percy's.

 _"You have not chosen,"_ Percy said.

 _"One of us has to die,"_ Jason said.

"Both of you are a spirit from the Underworld," I guessed.

Both sneered. _"The Earth mother has promised one of us can live in the body of the victor. We will go where we please, control whom we wish_."

A wave of cold washed over me. "Leo… that's what happened to Leo. He was being controlled by an eidolon."

Both Eidolons laughed through Percy and Jason.

 _"Too late you realize,"_ the thing in Percy said.

 _"You can trust no one,"_ the one behind Jason said.

Behind them, something rustled in the wheat. I saw the tip of a black wing, and Percy began to turn toward the sound.

"Ignored it!" I yelped. "Look at me."

Percy obeyed but the thing in Jason said. _"You cannot stop us. One of us will the other."_

Behind them Blackjack emerged from the wheat field, moving with surprising stealth for such a large animal.

"You won't kill," I ordered. But I wasn't looking at Percy or Jason. I locked eyes with the pegasus, pouring all my power into my words and hoping Blackjack would understand. "You will knock each boy out."

The charmspeak washed over both boys. _"We will knock each boy out?"_ they said in confusion.

"Oh, sorry," I said. "I wasn't talking to you."

Blackjack reared and brought both hooves down on both Jason's and Percy's head. Both crumbled to the ground, Jason having a horse shoe print, but Percy not so much but the force must of still knocked him out.

"Oh, gods!" I ran to the boys. "Blackjack, you didn't _kill_ them, did you?"

The pegasus snorted. I couldn't speak Horse, but I thought he might have said: _Please. I know my own strength._

Tempest was nowhere to be seen. The lightning steed had apparently returned to wherever storm spirits live on clear days.

I checked on Jason. He was breathing steadily, no blood, but he did have a huge welt where Blackjack kicked him. Percy was about the same. "We have to get them both back to the ship," I told Blackjack

The pegasus bobbed his head in agreement. He knelt to the ground so I could drape Percy and Jason over his back. After a lot of hard work (unconscious boys were heavy, I got them reasonably secured. Then I gathered Jason's sword, and both Percy's shield—which was still in good condition even after fending off a lightning attack—and thermos that fell when Blackjack. I couldn't find Percy's sword anywhere, and I was forced to leave it wherever it was for the boys' sake as I climbed onto Blackjack's back myself, and we took off for the ship.

…

The others were a little surprised when I came back on a pegasus with two unconscious demigods and carrying their weapons. While Frank and Hazel tended to Blackjack, Annabeth and Leo helped me get the boys to the sickbay.

I sat at Jason's side. As I treated Jason, I quickly told Annabeth what happened.

"So Gaea was behind the attack," Annabeth said as she treated Percy.

"Yeah," I said, "She got some spirits to possess Leo just as they possessed Jason and Percy. If it wasn't for Blackjack being there, I don't think I would be able to keep both Eidolons from trying to kill each other for long. Only problem is that I couldn't find Percy's sword after the battle. I found his thermos and shield, but his sword seemed to just disappeared. I was thinking maybe Hazel can use her power too—"

"Don't worry about it," Annabeth interrupted. "Incase Percy loses his sword; Riptide was enchanted so it would return to its owner's pocket in pen form."

I was glad to hear that, but I wish I knew that before I spend so much time trying to search for it.

Within a few minutes, Jason and Percy were sitting up in their berths and able to talk in complete sentences. Both had fuzzy memories (or hazy as Percy described) of what had happened. When I described their duel on the high way, both boys winced.

"Sorry, man. I didn't mean to try and blast you," Jason apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Percy said. "It's not the first time something possessed a brother of mine and tried to kill me."

Percy's smile faltered a bit, as if it brought back sad memories.

"That's great and all, but I need to know where to go," Leo said coming in.

"Atlanta," I said. "Bacchus told us we need to go to Atlanta."

"He also said other things we need to discuss," Percy said.

Leo nodded. "Fine then, I'll set sail to Atlanta. We'll meet in one hour for a meeting."

"Sounds good," Annabeth and I agreed.

…

After setting course, Leo gave the helm to Coach Hedge again, after making the satyr promise he would not try and steer off course to the nearest military base "for fun."

We gathered around the dining table, and I explained what had happened at Topeka 32—our conversation with Bacchus, the trap sprung by Gaea, and for the third time today—the eidolons that possessed the boys.

"So that's what happened!" Hazel slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito.

"Yeah, but without proof, we still can't convince the Romans," Annabeth said.

"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "Annabeth, you said it yourself she might believe us."

Hearing the way Jason said her name, like it was a lifeline to his past, made my heart sink. Annabeth looked at me sympathetically, as if to say: _Boys are clueless._

"Yeah, but there's still Octavian," Percy reminded him.

"He's right," I agreed. "In my dagger blade, I saw Octavian taking control of the Roman crowd. I'm not sure Reyna can stop him."

"That's for sure," Frank said. "This afternoon, when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on a warpath."

Hazel grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian always wanted. He'll try to seize power. If Reyna objects he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles… it's like they could smell us."

"They can," Jason said. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely—not from them."

Leo drummed his fingers. "Maybe I can figure out a way to use Myrmekes gunk to help cover the scent of us on this ship."

"Until we can gather proof, it might be best to keep going," Annabeth said.

Jason nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe at least from the legion."

He sounded depressed, I didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or resentful. "How can you be sure?" I asked. "Why wouldn't they follow us?"

He shook his head. "You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule."

Frank swallowed a bit of burrito like it turned to cardboard in his mouth. "So, if _we_ go there…"

"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," Jason confirmed. "But if we get across the atlantic, the Romans will give up chasing us. They'll assume that we'll die in the Mediterranean—the Mare Nostrum."

Everyone stared down at their plates as if they lost their appetite.

"So let's plan ahead," Percy suggested. "And make sure we _don't_ die. Mr. D—I mean Bacchus—he basically confirmed what we thought about the twin giants: Otis and Ephialtes but he won't do anything to help us without a tribute of a level we can't handle."

Silence fell around the table. I could hear Coach Hedge above deck singing "Blow the Man Down," except he didn't know the lyrics, so he mostly sang, "Blah-blah-hum-de-dum-dum."

I couldn't shake the feeling that Bacchus was _meant_ to help us. The giant twins were in Rome. They were keeping something the demigods needed—something in that bronze jar I saw in the vision. Whatever it was, I got the feeling it held the answer to sealing the Doors of Death—the _key to endless death_. I also felt sure we could never defeat the giants without Bacchus' help. And if we couldn't do that in five days, Rome would be destroyed, and Hazel's brother, Nico, would die.

On the other hand, if the vision of Bacchus offering me a silver goblet was false, maybe the other visions didn't have to come true either—especially the one of her, Percy, and Jason drowning. Maybe that was just symbolic.

 _The blood of a female demigod,_ Gaea had said, _and the blood of a male. Piper, my dear, choose which hero will die with you._

"She wants two of us," I murmured.

Everyone turned to look at me.

I hated being the center of attention. It sounds odd coming from a child of Aphrodite, but I'd watched my dad, the movie star, deal with fame for years. I remember when Aphrodite had claimed me at the bonfire in front of the _entire_ camp, zapping me with a magic beauty-queen makeover. That had been the most embarrassing moment of my life. Even here, with only six other demigods, I felt exposed.

They're my friends, I told myself. It's okay.

But I had a strange feeling, as if more than six sets of eyes were watching me.

"Today on the highway," I said, "Gaea told me that she needed the blood of only two demigods—one female, and one male. She—she asked me to choose which bot would die."

Jason squeezed my hand. "But neither of us died. You saved us."

"I know. It's just… what would she want that?"

Leo whistled softly. "Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."

"Oh…" Percy turned to me and he had a sudden look of a corner animal in fear, "Piper did the Eidolons perhaps had Jason try to strike my left side."

"Yeah, actually they did," I said.

"This is bad. This is _really_ bad," Percy said.

"Percy?" Annabeth gripped his arm. "What is it?"

He looked across the table at Frank and Hazel.

"Truth is, I carried the mark of Achilles," Percy said.

He went to explain how Nico came up with the idea after the Battle of the Labyrinth so he could stand a chance against Kronos. He explained how he learned that it requires a blessing from a birth mother (which makes since with Achilles since Themis herself dipped her son into the River of Styx), his careful planning on the single weak point (which I recommend he didn't tell right away as I had a feeling there was others listening), and the experience of being in the river. I could tell he kept some stuff to himself, but I basically got the idea as did Jason and Leo.

"So you're what? 99% invulnerable?" Leo asked.

"Something like that," Percy said. "But if I am stabbed at my lifeline, I'm good as dead. It also comes with some other side effects."

"Like Achilles," I remembered. "He was good as dead the moment he was shot on the heel."

Percy nodded.

"Okay, but what does this have to do with your panic attack?" Leo asked.

"When I first came to camp, Juno gave me a choice, keep the Mark of Achilles by using my powers of Poseidon to condense the water of the Little Tiber so I can walk on top of it, or swim through it and lose," Percy said, "I choose to keep it, especially after Juno kept talking about the invasion coming."

"Makes sense," Jason agreed with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Ever since my first night at Camp Jupiter, I had a series dream visions, among them was of Gaea," Percy said. "She kept talking about still having plans for me. At first I thought she mean manipulating me like how Kronos tried too, but now…"

"She might actually refer to killing you even with the Mark of Achilles," I said. All of the sudden I couldn't stop shaking. It was the same way on the highway outside Topeka. "If that was the case—if the Giants get blood from two of us—"

"It could be disastrous," Percy said.

"Well no problem, we just have to make sure we don't get capture," Leo said. "And we have armor in the armory, I'm sure you can defend your weak point—ah where is it—?"

"Hold that question Leo," I said.

Once more, everyone looked at me.

I was rapidly losing my courage, wondering if my instincts were wrong, but I forced myself to speak.

"There's one last thing," I said. "The eidolons—the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room."


	12. Piper's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part IV**

I couldn't explain how I knew.

Stories of phantoms and tortured souls had always freaked me out. My dad used to joke about Grandpa Tom's Cherokee legends from back on the rez, but even at home in their big Malibu mansion, looking out over the Pacific, whenever my dad recounted the ghost stories for me, I could never get them out of my head.

Cherokee spirits were always restless. They often lost their way to the Land of the Dead, or stayed behind with the living out of sheer stubbornness. Sometimes they didn't even realize they _were_ dead.

The more I learned about being a demigod, the more convinced I was that Cherokee legends and Greek myths weren't so different. These eidolons acted a lot like the spirits in my dad's stories.

I had a gut sense that they were still present, simply because no one told them to go away.

When I was done explaining, the others looked at me uncomfortably. Up on deck, Hedge sang something that sounded like "In the Navy" while Blackjack stomped his hooves, whinnying in protest.

Finally, Hazel exhaled. "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.

"I met eidolons," Hazel said. "In the Underworld, when I was… you know."

 _Dead._

I had forgotten that Hazel was a second-timer. In her own way, Hazel was a ghost reborn. But unlike some of the stories I heard and of course Midas and Medea, Hazel was kind and friendly.

"So…" Frank rubbed his hand through his buzz-cut hair as if some ghosts might have invade his scalp. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"

"Possibly lurking inside some of us. We don't know," I said. "But I might be able to reach the eidolons even from inside someone."

Percy frowned. "How?"

"Just listen okay?" I took a deep breath. "Everybody listen."

I met their eyes, one person at a time. No golden eyes yet but that might not mean anything.

"Eidolons," I said, using my charmspeak, raise your hands."

There was a tense silence.

Leo laughed nervously. "Did you really think that was going to—?"

His voice died as his, Jason's, and Percy's face went slack. Then their eyes turned glassy and gold. Hazel caught her breath. Next to Leo, Frank scrambled out of his char and put his back against the wall.

"Oh, gods." Annabeth looked at me imploringly. "Can you cure them?"

I wanted to whimper and hide under the table, but I _had_ to help Jason.

I remember Aphrodite telling me that I was the peacekeeper out of the seven of us. At first I thought she meant it was my job to keep the Romans and the Greeks from killing each other, but now I realize my job was broader than that. That because of my Charmspeak ability—I was more of a negotiator, and in moment like these, only I can deal with creatures and spirits like Eidolons.

I focus on Leo since he was the least intimidating.

"Are there more of you on this ship?" I asked.

 _"No,"_ Leo said in a hollow voice. _"The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. We will live again."_

"Not here, you won't," I growled. "All three of you, listen carefully."

Jason and Percy turned toward me. Those gold eyes were unnerving, but seeing all three boys like that fueled my anger which I put into every word of my charmspeak.

"You will leave those bodies," I commanded.

 _"No,"_ Percy said.

Leo let out a soft hiss. _"We must live."_

Frank fumbled for his bow. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"

Leo turned toward him. _"You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment."_

I don't know what that meant, but Frank staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. He was about drew his arrow, but I signal him to wait. I swallowed down any doubt that started to form.

"You will leave those bodies," I repeated, even more forcefully.

Jason's face tightened. His forehead beaded with sweat. _"We—we will leave these bodies."_

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," I continued, "and never to possess any member of this crew."

Leo and Percy both hissed in protest.

"You will promise on the River Styx," I insisted

A moment of tension—I could feel their wills fighting against mine. Then all three eidolons spoke in unison: _"We promise on the Styx."_

"You are dead," I said.

 _"We are dead,"_ they agreed.

"Now, leave."

All three boys slumped forward. Percy fell face first into his pizza.

"Percy!" Annabeth grabbed him.

Hazel and I caught Jason's arms as he slipped out of his chair.

Leo wasn't so lucky. He fell toward Frank, who made no attempt to intercept him. Leo hit the floor.

"Ow!" he groaned.

"Are you all right?" Hazel asked.

Leo pulled himself up. He had a piece of spaghetti in the shape of a _3_ stuck to his forehead. "Did it work?"

Jason blinked his eyes, which were back to their sky blue color. Annabeth helped Percy up, and other than having cheese and tomato sauce on his face, he looked like he was back to normal to.

"It work," I said, feeling pretty sure I was right. "I don't think they'll be back."

"Good, I don't think I can take another head injury," Jason said.

I laughed, exhaling all her nervousness. "Come on, Lightning Boy. Let's get you some fresh air."

…

Jason and I walked back and forth long the deck. Jason was still wobbly, so I encouraged him to wrap his arm around me for support.

Leo stood at the helm, conferring with Festus through the intercom; he knew from experience to give Jason and me some space. Since the satellite TV was back up again, Coach Hedge was in his cabin happily catching up on his mixed martial arts cage matches. Percy's pegasus Blackjack had flown off somewhere. The other demigods were settling in for the night.

Before Percy did though he went ahead and answered Leo's question earlier and told Leo Jason and my his vulnerable spot—which turned out to be under his left armpit.

"I don't want to give Gaea any more reason to try and create distrust between us," Percy explained. "If we're going to fight the titans, we need to maintain trust between the seven of us."

I didn't argue against it, but I don't know if Jason was still jealous about it.

Afterwards, Percy went to his cabin as he wasn't much better than Jason after the Eidolon left his body. Which left Jason and me by ourselves on the deck.

The _Argo II_ raced east, cruising several hundred feet above the ground. Below us, small towns passed like lit-up islands in a dark sea of prarie.

I remembered last winter, flying Festus the dragon over the city of Quebec. I had never seen anything so beautiful, or felt so happy to have Jason's arms around me—but this was better.

The night was warm. The ship sailed along more smoothly than a dragon. Best of all, we were flying away from Camp Jupiter as fast as we possibly could. Leo told everyone we should reach Atlanta by daytime but that didn't bother me right now. No matter how dangerous the ancient lands were, I couldn't wait to get there. I hoped Jason was right that the Romans wouldn't follow us across the Atlantic.

Jason stopped amidships and leaned against the rail. The moonlight turned his hair silver.

"Thanks, Pipes," he said. "You saved me again."

He put his arms around my waist. I thought about the day we'd fallen into the Grand Canyon—the first time I'd learned that Jason could control the air. He'd held me so tightly; I could feel his heartbeat. Then we'd stopped falling and floated in midair. Best. Boyfriend. Ever.

I wanted to kiss him now, but something held me back.

"I'm not much of a hero," I said.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"When the Eidolons made you and Percy fight, Gaea tried to tempt me to decide," I said.

"Gaea was playing wit your head so she can get what she wanted. That's all," Jason said. "Both Percy and I are alive because of you."

"But if two of our crew really have to die, a boy and a girl—"

"I don't accept that. We're going to stop Gaea. All seven of us are going to come back alive. I promise you."

I wished he hadn't _promised_. The world only reminded, me of the Prophecy of Seven: _an oath to keep with a final breath._

 _Please,_ I thought, wondering if my mom, the goddess of love, could hear me. _Don't let it be Jason's final breath. If love means anything, don't take him away._

As soon as I made the wish, I felt guilty. How could I stand to see Annabeth in that kind of pain f Percy died. How could I live with myself if _any_ of the seven died? Already, each of us endured so much. Even the two new Roman kids, Hazel and Frank, whom I barely knew, felt like kin. At Camp Jupiter, Percy had recounted their trip to Alaska, which sounded as harrowing as anything had experienced. And the way Hazel helped Leo get the bronze away from Narcissus and how Frank tried to help with the exorcism, I could tell they were brave, good people.

"The legend that Annabeth mentioned," I said, "about the Mark of Athena… why didn't you want to talk about it?"

I was afraid Jason might shut me out, but he just lowered his head like he'd been expecting the question. "Pipes, I don't know what's true and what's not. That legend… it could be really dangerous."

"For who?"

"All of us," he said grimly. "The story goes that the Romans stole something important from the Greeks, back in ancient times, when Rome conquered the Greek cities."

"What did they steal?" I asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I'm not sure anyone in the legion has ever known. But according to the story, this thing was taken away to Rome and hidden there. The children of Athena, Greek demigods, have hated us ever since. We've always stirred up their brethren against Romans. Like I said, I don't know how much of that is true—"

"But why not just tell Annabeth?" I asked. "She's not going to suddenly hate you."

He seemed to have trouble focusing on me. "I hope not. But the legend says that the children of Athena have been searching for this thing for millennia. Every generation, a few are chosen by the goddess to find it. Apparently, they're led to Roma by some sign… the Mark of Athena."

"But if Annabeth is one of those searchers—if this is her test as one of the Prophecy of Seven… we should help her."

Jason hesitated. "Maybe. When we get closer to Rome, I'll tell her what little I know. Honest. But the story, at least the way I heard it—it claims that if the Greeks ever found what was stolen, they'd never forgive us. They'd destroy the legion and Rome once and for all. After what Nemesis told Leo about Rome being destroyed five days from now…"

I studied Jason's face. He was, without a doubt, the bravest person I'd ever known, but I realized he was afraid. This legend—the idea that it might tear apart our group and level a city—absolutely terrified him.

I wondered what could have been stolen from the Greeks that would be so important. I couldn't imagine anything that would make Annabeth suddenly turn vengeful.

Then again, I couldn't imagine choosing one demigod over another, and today on that deserted road, just for a moment, Gaea had almost tempted me…

"I'm sorry, by the way," Jason said.

I wiped the last tear from my face. "Sorry for what?"

The little scar on Jason's upper lip seemed to glow white in the moonlight. I'd always loved that scar. The imperfection caused by him trying to eat a stapler when he was just two made his face much more interesting.

"I was stupid for bringing up Reyna the way I did," he said. "I wasn't thinking."

"Oh." I looked up at the clouds and wondered if my mother, Aphrodite, was somehow influencing him. His apology seemed too good to be true.

 _But don't stop,_ I thought. "Really, it's okay."

"It's just… I never felt the way I feel about you toward Reyna," Jason said, "But I didn't think about its making you uncomfortable. You've got nothing to worry about, Pipes."

"I wanted to hate her," I admitted. "I was so afraid you'd go back to Camp Jupiter."

Jason looked surprised. "That would never happen. Not unless you came with me. I promise."

I held his hand. I managed to smile, but I was thinking: Another promise. _An oath to keep with a final breath._

I tried to put those thoughts out of my mind. I knew I should just enjoy this quiet moment with Jason. But as I looked over the side of the ship, I couldn't help remembering how much the prairie at night looked like dark water—like the drowning room I'd seen in the blade of my knife.


	13. Percy's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part I**

I wish Myrmekes Gunk can scare dream visions away with its stench, but unfortunately, I don't think my first-ex-step-father Smelly Gabe in his worse days scent combine with Myrmekes Gunk is that powerful, and tonight's dreams were one of the worse.

First I dreamed I was back in Alaska on the quest for the legion's eagle. I was hiking along a mountain road, but as soon as I stepped off the shoulder I was swallowed by the muskeg. I found myself in a familiar scene where I would drown if I didn't try anything.

Only this time seemed to have slowed down—as if Kronos himself was effecting the time and space around me (believe me I know how that feels), so that it felt like I was down there longer than I actually was.

During the whole time I started to truly understand how Thalia's Luke's Annabeth's Grover's and my encounter with a rogue Cyclopes in Brooklyn with how Thalia Grover and Luke hanging over a fire might have triggered Thalia's fear of heights.

I also realized that if I didn't do something right now—or back then reacted as quick as I did, if I had survived this moment, I might have developed a fear of suffocation and drowning. Just when I was about to summon my water blast.

I stood in a vast gloomy space like an underground parking garage. Rows of stone pillars marched off in every direction, holding up the ceiling about twenty above. Freestanding brazier cast a dim red glow over the floor.

I couldn't see very far in the shadows, but hanging from the ceiling were pulley systems, sandbags, and rows of dark theater lights. Piled around the chamber, wooden crates were labeled PROPS, WEAPONS, and COSTUMES. One read: ASSORTED ROCKET LAUNCHERS.

I heard machinery creaking in the darkness, huge gears turning, and water rushing through pipes.

Then I saw what I guess was the giant.

He was about twelve feet tall—shorter than even Polybotes (heck, smaller than a Hyperborean Giant). He looked more human than his bothers I met, without the dragonlike legs of his larger kin. Nevertheless, his long purple hair was braided in a ponytail of dreadlocks, woven with gold and silver coins, which struck me as a giantish hairstyle. He had a ten-foot spear strapped to his back—a giantish weapon.

He wore the largest black turtleneck I had ever seen, black pants, and black leather shoes with points so long and curly, they might have been jester slippers. He paced back and forth in front of a raised platform, examining a bronze jar about the size of myself.

"No, no, no," the giant muttered to himself. "Where's the splash? Where's the value?" He yelled into the darkness, "Otis!"

I heard something shuffling in the distance. Another giant appeared out of the gloom. He wore exactly the same outfit, right down to the curly shoes. The only difference between the two giants was that the second one's hair was green rather than purple.

The first giant cursed. "Otis, why do you do this to me _every day_? I told you _I was wearing the black turtleneck today. You could wear anything but the black turtleneck!"_

Otis blinked as if he'd just woken up. I thought you were wearing the yellow toga today?"

"That was yesterday! When _you_ showed up in the yellow toga!"

"Oh. Right. Sorry, Ephie."

His brother snarled.

"Don't call me Ephie," Ephie demanded. "Call me _Ephialtes_. That's my name. Or you can use my stage name: The BIG F!"

Now I had no doubt that these two were twin banes of Dionysus—or Bacchus if you want to go by his Roman form.

Otis grimaced. "I still not sure about that state name."

"Nonsense! It's perfect. Now, how are preparations coming along?"

"Fine," Otis didn't sound very enthusiastic. "The man-eating tigers, the spinning blades—everything is coming along."

"And _this_ thing." He waved at the bronze jar in disgust. "What does it do? It's not exciting."

"But that's the whole point of the show. He dies unless the others rescue him. And if they arrived on schedule—"

"Oh, they'd better!" Ephialtes said. "July First, the Kalends of July, sacred to Juno. That's when Mother wants to destroy those stupid demigods and _really_ rub it in Juno's face. Besides, I'm not paying overtime for those gladiator ghosts!"

"Well, then, they all die," Otis said, "and we start the destruction of Rome. Just like Mother wants. It'll be perfect. The crowd will love it. Roman ghost adore this sort of thing."

Ephialtes looked unconvinced. "But the jar just _stands_ there. Couldn't we suspend it above a fire, or dissolve it in a pool of acid or something?"

"We need him alive for a few more days," Otis reminded his brother. "Otherwise, the seven won't take the bait and rush to save him."

"Hmm. I suppose. I'd still like a little more screaming. This slow death is boring. Ah, well, what about our talented friend? Is she ready to receive her visitor?"

Otis made a sour face. "I _really_ don't like talking to her. She makes me nervous."

"But is she ready?"

"Yes," Otis said reluctantly. "She's been ready for centuries. No one will be removing _that_ statue."

"Excellent." Ephialtes rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "This is our big chance, my brother."

"That's what you said about our last stunt," Otis mumbled. "I was hanging in that block of ice suspended over the River Lethe for six months and we didn't even get any media attention."

"This is different!" Ephialtes insisted. "We will set a new standard for entertainment! If Mother is pleased, we can write our on ticket to fame and fortune! Come. Let's examine the tigers. I want to be sure they are hungry!"

The giants lumbered off into the gloom, and I turned toward the jar.

Something told me I need to see what's inside it. Something about it seem crucial to our quest. But something told me what was inside could change everything.

I willed my dream forward, right to the surface of the jar. Then I passed through.

The air in the jar smelled of stale breath and tarnished metal. There were only two sources of light—one being a dim purple glow of a dark sword, its Stygian iron blade set against one side of the container. The other was a small celestial bronze hunters knife that I recognized as ones that the hunters of Artemis normally used. Huddled between both was a dejected looking boy in tattered jeans, a black shirt, and an old aviator jacket. On his right hand, a silver skull ring glittered.

I quickly realized it was Nico di Angelo, and I knew where that hunter's knife came from. A few years ago, after Nico and I along with Thalia and Bianca helped Persephone retrieve the Sword of Hades (long story), Bianca gave Nico that knife to help him. I never seen him used it, but I'm not surprise Nico kept it.

"Nico," I called. But the son of Hades couldn't hear me.

The container was completely sealed. The air was turning poisonous. Nico's eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. He appeared to be meditating. Is face was pale, and thinner than I remembered.

On the inner wall of the jar, it looked as though Nico had used a knife to scratch three hash marks—maybe it had been three days that he'd been imprisoned?

It didn't seem possible for him to survive this long without suffocating. Even in a dream, I was already struggling to get enough oxygen and being in an enclosed space didn't help my ADHD.

Then I noticed something between Nico's feet—a small collection of glistening objects no bigger than baby teeth.

Pomegranate seeds, I realized. They must have been from the Garden of Persephone—the original one in the Underworld. They must be keeping him alive somehow. Three had been eaten and spit out. Five were still incased in dark red pulp.

"Nico," I said, "where is this place? We'll save you…"

The image faded, and a girl's voice whispered: "Percy."

At first, I thought I was still asleep. When I'd lost my memory, I'd spent weeks dreaming about Annabeth, the only person I remembered from my past. But as I opened my eyes, my vision cleared and I realized she was really there.

Annabeth was standing by my berth smiling down at me. Her blond hair fell across her shoulders. Her storm-gray eyes were bright with amusement.

"Wh-what's going on?" I asked. "Are we there?"

"No," she said, her voice was low. "It's the middle of the night."

"You mean…" My heart started to race. I realized I was in my pajamas, in bed. I probably _had_ been drooling, or talking in my sleep that involves the dream visions I just had. No doubt I had a severe case of pillow hair and my breath didn't smell great. "You sneaked into my cabin?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Percy, you'll be seventeen in two months. You can't seriously be worried about getting into trouble with Coach Hedge."

"You didn't see him swing his club threatening the pond nymphs of the Great Salt Lake," I responded, "There were moments Jason and I thought he would jump overboard just to teach them a lesson."

Annabeth laughed a little while trying to stay quiet. "Don't worry, Seaweed Brain, Coach Hedge has taken time off from patrol. Besides, I thought we could take a walk. We haven't had any time to be alone together. I want to show you one of my favorite places aboard the ship.

My pulse was still in overdrive, but it wasn't from fear of getting into trouble. "Can I brush my teeth first?" I asked.

"You'd better," Annabeth said. "Because I'm not kissing you until you do. And brush your hair while you're at it."

…

At Camp Half-Blood we had trireme big enough to hold a small navy crew, but none of them compared to the _Argo II_. Still it felt cozy to me like my mom's apartment that she moved into after she divorced Gabe. As Annabeth and I crept through the ship, I couldn't help but be amazed by the ship.

Annabeth told me about the rooms in the second floor, since the only one I been too is the sickbay. I was impressed by Leo's idea of having a glass door that opens up in the stables for Pegasi to fly in and out, but it was a waist of time since Pegasi like to be free.

"How does this ship work?" I asked.

"No idea," Annabeth said. "All I know is Leo had set up some kind of machine that carefully mixes two dangerous chemicles that can explode if it doesn't work right."

I froze. "What kind of fuels?"

"Lethe Flames from Hephaestus' forges, and water from the River of Styx," Annabeth said.

My skin started tingling at the mention of the River Styx as I remember Achilles' warning about bathing in the river.

"How did Leo get his hands on the Styx water?" I said.

Annabeth shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Come on."

We worked our way through the engine room where I saw the machine Annabeth was talking about as well as the mess of pipes and pistons. Annabeth led us to a supply room which was stacked with crates, bags and gear.

She took a blanket out of the crate and spread it across the floor. "Sit with me."

I didn't argue as I sat next to her. The with the supplies and gear around us, it reminded me of an old memory.

"Does this place remind you of anywhere?" Annabeth asked.

I nodded. With the bags of supplies, all we were missing was some scrap metal piled up to hide a seven year old and it being open space.

"The place where we met," I said, "Back in Richmond."

Annabeth nodded.

"Thalia Luke and I just escaped from Hal's mansion that was burning from the Greek Fire Hal set off to destroy the leucrotae. We were resting when I heard something from a docking lot. I decided to check it out on my own, and when I moved a sheet of metal you came at me with a hammer," I remembered.

"The day that change my life." She took out her camp necklace containing the same nine beads Mine had, only hers included her dad's college ring. Now there was also something else on the leather cord: a red coral pendant I had given her when we started dating. I'd brought it from my dad's palace at the bottom of the sea.

"It also reminds me how long we known each other. We were only seven years old. Can you believe that?"

"No, I can't," I said. "But I agree. It changed my life too."

Annabeth leaned over and kissed me: a good, proper kiss without anyone watching—no Romans anywhere, no screaming satyr chaperones.

She pulled away. "I missed you Percy."

I wanted to tell her the same thing, but it seemed too small a comment. While I had been on the Roman side, I kept myself alive—made sure Octavian didn't make the quest harder for Hazel, Frank, and I to survive out of with little supplies—was so that I could see Annabeth again. _I missed you_ didn't really cover that.

I remembered earlier in the night, when Piper had forced the eidolon to leave my mind. I hadn't been aware of its presence until she had used her charmspeak. After the eidolon was gone, I felt as if a hot spike had been removed from my forehead. I didn't even realized how much pain I was in until the spirit left. Then my thoughts became clearer. My soul settled comfortably back into my body.

Sitting here with Annabeth made me feel the same way. The past few months could have been one of my dream visions. The events at Camp Jupiter seemed as fuzzy and unreal as that fight with Jason, when we both were under the eidolons' control.

Yet I didn't regret the time I'd spent at Camp Jupiter. It opened my eyes in a lot of ways. I had hoped that once Prophecy of Seven was over, maybe the Romans and Greeks can get along, and New Rome can welcome Greek demigods to stay if they want almost like how the Romans do. Sadly, thanks to Gaea, my hopes for the future in New Rome seemed to have been dashed away.

Annabeth must of could tell something was up because she asked, "What's wrong Percy?" Annabeth asked.

I wanted to say nothing, but I know Annabeth will just try to get it out of me.

"I was just thinking how Gaea ruined any possible chance Greek Demigods might have in living in peace in New Rome once the Prophecy of Seven was over." I said

As I expected Annabeth's expression to turn guarded. "Percy…"

"Now here me out. I'm not saying all the Greeks should go there," I said as I started explaining the idea I formulated ever since I first saw New Rome. I told her how the Greeks could have a choice to live in New Rome after high school just as the Romans do after ten years of service, how the next generation make their journey to Camp Half-Blood—with protectors of course. Maybe see to Chiron about building more cabins for the Roman gods so the Roman demigods are welcomed so that the camps will no longer be divided between Greek and Roman demigods. I also had this idea I had of using Camp Half-Blood's tradition of when Hunters visit of having a Hunters vs. Camper game of capture the flag if the Romans visit Camp Half-Blood, or when the Greeks visit Camp Jupiter we play one of their War Games.

Annabeth didn't say anything until I was done and when she did say something it was a compliment in her own way, "You must have had high hopes to come up with a plan like that."

I nodded. "I did, but now I don't know if it's even possible. Before that eidolon used Leo to destroy New Rome, I thought maybe if we finish the Prophecy of Seven maybe by proving the Greeks and Romans can work together or since we'll be going to Rome and Greece, find the one thing that caused the rift and find a way to mend it."

"Maybe, but I think you're on with finding the cause of the rift," Annabeth said.

I frowned. "You're not just trying to make me feel better are you?"

"No—well, yeah, but I'm also thinking about that legend Reyna mention," Annabeth said.

I nodded at the reminder of the Legend. "Jason knows it. No doubt there. I just wonder why he seemed worried about it."

"I don't know," Annabeth said.

"There's something else," I said. "Before you woke me, I had a dream vision—and I think it has to do with the prophecy Ella told."

I told Annabeth what I'd seen.

Nothing about it seem to surprise her. She shook her head sadly when I described Nico's imprisonment in the bronze jar. She got an angry glint in her eyes when brought up the giants' plan that I heard of the destruction of Rome.

"Nico is the bait," she murmured. "Gaea's forces must have captured him somehow. But we don't know where they're holding him other than somewhere underground in Rome."

"Those pomegranate seeds are keeping him alive somehow. I'm sure of it," I said. "I recognized the pomegranate from Persephone's garden in the Underworld from our first trip down there and again when Persephone had summoned Thalia Nico Bianca and me."

"They'll probably keep him alive for five more days, just as Nemesis predicted," Annabeth said. "The Kalends of July. At least the deadline makes sense now."

I nodded. Even with my brief time in New Rome I recognized the term. It meant the first of the month of July.

Then something dawn to me. "A statue…"

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"The giants mention a statue being heavily guarded," I said, "Annabeth, wasn't there a statue of your mom made out of Ivory and Gold during ancient Greek."

Annabeth nodded. "There was: Athena's Parthos. The Athenian made it for the Parthenon to honor Athena. It disappeared when the Romans conquered Greece—wait, you don't think—"

"It's the bane of the Giants, I think so," I said. "The giants said it was heavily guarded by a talented friend of theirs for centuries."

At that point Annabeth gazed down at a highway snaking through dark hills. "Percy, have you seen Poseidon lately? Or had any kind of sign from him?"

I thought back. "I haven't talked to my dad since the end of the Titan War at Camp Half-Blood, but that was last August. But there was this one time—"

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"When Hazel Frank and I were sailing up to Alaska I once prayed to my dad—I don't know. At the time my memory was missing, so I thought I prayed to Neptune, but when I did Rainbow came," I said. "I don't know if my dad in his Greek form answered my prayers, or perhaps his Roman form Neptune did." There was a moment of silence. "Why? Have you seen Athena?"

She didn't meet my eyes.

"A few weeks ago," she admitted. "It… it wasn't good. She didn't seem like herself. Maybe it's the Greek/Roman schizophrenia that Nemesis described. I'm not sure. She said some hurtful things. She said I had failed her."

"Failed her?" That didn't seem right. Annabeth was everything a child of Athena should be. She was the Architect of Olympus. "How could you ever—?"

"I don't know," she said miserably. "On top of that, I've been having dream visions that seemed like nightmares. They don't make much sense as yours."

I waited to see if Annabeth wanted to share some more, but it was clear that she didn't. I wanted to make her feel better and tell her it would be okay, but at this point I doubt I can.

 _Wisdom's daughter walks alone_.

I had a good feeling what that meant after finding out that Annabeth still had her own test to face, but I thought Annabeth would have some kind of support from Athena, that maybe Athena had done something to help Annabeth prepare for it before leaving Camp Half-Blood. It was the only thought that kept me from going insane of the idea that Annabeth would have to face this prophecy on her own.

But now I realized that Annabeth might have to face this on her own for real.

Annabeth managed a faint smile. "Some romantic evening, huh? No more bad things until the morning." She kissed me again. "We'll figure everything out. I've got your back. For now, that's all that matters."

"Sounds good," I agreed as I pulled Annabeth close to me.

We sat together cuddling, enjoying each other's warmth. Before I knew it, the drone of the ship's engine, the dim light and the comfortable feeling of being with Annabeth made my eyes grew heavy, and I drifted to sleep.

When I woke, dim light was shining over my face as if someone had found what they were looking for, and a boy's voice said, "Oh… you are in _so_ much trouble."


	14. Percy's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part I**

I've seen Frank surrounded by cannibal Laistrygonian Giants, facing down an unkillable giant, and even unleashing Thantos, the god of death. But I'd never seen Frank look as terrified as he did now, finding Annabeth and me passed out in the supply room.

"What…?" I rubbed my eyes. "Oh, we just fell asleep."

Frank swallowed. He was dressed in running shoes, dark cargo pants, and Vancouver Winter Olympis T-Shirt with his Roman Centurion badge pinned to his neck (which seemed both sad and hopeful to me since we were renegades. Frank averted his eyes as if the sight of us together might burn him.

"Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped," he said. "We've been scouring the ship. When Coach Hedge finds out—oh, gods, you've been here _all night_?"

"Frank!" Annabeth's ears were as red as strawberries. "We just came down here to talk. We fell asleep accidentally. That's it."

We kissed a couple of times too, but I decided not to bring it up since we don't need Frank to get the wrong idea.

"We'd better…" Frank pointed to the door out of the room. "Uh, we're supposed to meet for breakfast. Would you explain what you did—I mean didn't do? I mean… I really don't want that faun—I mean satyr—to kill me."

Frank ran.

"We better go," Annabeth said.'

"Right," I agreed although I was dreading dealing with Coach Hedge.

…

When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, it wasn't quite as bad as Frank feared. Jason and Piper were mostly relieved. Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic." Only Hazel seemed scandalized. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet my eyes.

Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic and started bellowing, which after a few minutes started reminding me of Terminus.

"Never in my life!" Coach Hedge bellowed waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"Coach," Annabeth said, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."

"It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now don't we have other things to discuss?"

Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense—"

Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."

…

The meeting was like a war council with donuts instead of Cheez whiz and crackers.

Since the point of going to Atlanta involved finding salt water, Jason gave me the command seat, which I was grateful, but it didn't feel right since we're still in Zeus' and Jupiter's domain.

I told my friends about my dream—the twin giants planning a reception for us in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with seeds from the Pomegranate seeds at his feet.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico… Oh gods. Percy are you sure they're from our stepmother's garden."

I reluctantly nodded. "Hazel, if you mind me asking—how do they work?"

I started to wish I didn't ask, because all of the silverware on the table started moving toward her.

"Only children of Hades and Pluto can eat them. Nico always kept some incase he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. "Won't we?"

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before… uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun."

"It keeps him from consuming all his air," Hazel said. "Like hibernation or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."

"And he only has five seeds left," I said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first."

"That's not much time," Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who knows the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name: di Angelo. _Angelo_ is Italian for angel.'

"Oh, gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico…"

"We'll rescue him Nico," I promised Hazel.

"That's great and all—" Leo shifted, "But wouldn't the giants be expecting us to do that? Wouldn't it be a trap?"

Hazel looked at Leo like he'd made a rude gesture. "We have no choice!"

"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico… he knew about both camps right?"

"Well, yes," Hazel said.

"He's been going back and forth," Leo said, "And he didn't tell either side."

I knew instantly were Leo was going. "Nico's not a spy if that's your indicating. He was traveling between camps because he had a responsibility to make sure Hazel was safe in Camp Jupiter after he found her. He probably kept it a secret to keep him and Hazel alive."

"Octavian would jump for the moment if he knew Nico was traveling between camps." Frank said.

"That I agree," Jason agreed.

"There's something else," Annabeth said.

"What else is there?" Leo asked.

I looked at Annabeth. I knew where she was going.

"I have a good idea what the Bane of the Giants might be," I said.

Everyone looked at me confused, except Piper and Jason who seemed to have frozen for a moment.

Before I could say anything else a whirling sound like a large drill came from above.

"That's Festus," Leo said. "I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there… ah, assuming we know where to land."

"Well, if I remember correctly Phorcys was an ancient sea god before my dad," I said, "But I never been to Atlanta before, so I don't know where he could hide here."

"Still, since we're looking for salt water, you're in command," Jason reminded me, "So where should we stop."

"Well—" I scratch the back of my head. "Somewhere central, high up so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with wooded areas. We don't want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. We don't know if there are any mortals in the city who can see through the Mist, and if we cause even a little disturbance it might catch the Roman's attention."

Leo nodded. "On it." He raced for the stairs.

"When we land, I'll scout around for Atlanta," I said as I turned to Frank. "Frank, I could use your help too. With Gaea waking there's no telling how Phorcys is acting right now, so it might better if there was a son and descendant of Poseidon there."

Frank nodded "Sure, I guess."

"Great," I said. We should take one more. Annabeth—"

"Oh, no!" Coach Hedge barked. "Young lady, you are _grounded_."

Annabeth stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language. "Excuse me?"

"You and Jackson are not going _anywhere_ where together!" Hedge insisted. He glared at me, daring me to mouth off. " _I'll_ go with Frank and Mr. Sneaky Jackson. The rest of you guard the ship and make sure Annabeth doesn't break any more rules!"

Just what I need, a bloodthirsty satyr version of Terminus tagging along. But I don't see anyway around this without Hedge threatening me with his club.

"Okay, then," I sighed. "Then Coach Hedge, Frank and I would go find Phorcys."


	15. Percy's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part III**

I made a quick stop a in the armory and grabbed a breastplate to wear incase we ran into trouble before I went up deck. I offered to get Frank one, but he said he was good. When I climbed out on deck and said, "Wow."

We had landed near the summit of a forested hill. A complex of white buildings, like a museum or a university, nestled in a grove of pines to the left. Below us spread the city of Atlanta—a cluster of brown and silver downtown skyscrapers two miles away, rising from what looked like an endless flat sprawl of highways, railroad tracks, houses, and green swathes of forest.

"Ah, lovely spot." Coach Hedge inhaled the morning air. "Good choice, Valdez."

Leo shrugged. "I just picked a tall hill. That's a presidential library or something over there. At least that's what Festus says."

"I don't know about that!" Hedge barked. "But do you realize what happened on this hill? Frank Zhang, you should know!"

Frank flinched. "I should?"

"A son of Ares stood here!" Hedge cried indignantly.

"I'm Roman… so Mars, actually."

"Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!"

"I'm Canadian, actually."

"Whatever! General Sherman, Union leader. He stood on this hill watching over the city of Atlanta burn. Cut a path of destruction all the way from here to the sea. Burning, looting, pillaging—now _there_ was a demigod!"

Frank inched away from the satyr. "Uh, okay."

I don't blame Frank for backing away from Hedge, but I can see most children of Ares doing that. I wouldn't be surprise if most children of Mars possess that power. But I couldn't imagine Frank doing something so harsh.

Still, being in a civil war site made me wonder if this was a bad omen for us. Most human civil wars and revolutions was between Greek and Roman Demigods, and this was a site of a destruction of one Child of Ares.

"We're not here to burn down a city, we're here to find Phorcys," I said.

The coach looked disappointed. "All right. But where too?"

I pointed toward downtown. "When in doubt, start in the middle."

…

Catching a ride there was easier than we thought. The three of us headed to the presidential library—which turned out to be the Carter Center—and asked the staff if they could call a taxi or give them directions to the nearest bus stop. I didn't want to call Blackjack after what happened in Kansas (I wanted to make sure it's safe to fly on Blackjack again). Frank didn't want to polymorph into anything, and I didn't want to push it on him. Besides, it felt nice to travel like regular mortals for a change.

I quickly manipulated the Mist to make my breastplate look like a sleeveless hoody for emergencies.

One of the librarians, whose name was Esther, insisted on driving us personally. She was so nice about it, I had to ask Hedge to make sure she was human.

We piled into Esther's big black Cadillac and drove toward down town. Esther was so tiny, she could barely see over the steering wheel; but that didn't seem to bother her. She muscled her car trough traffic while regaling us with stories about the crazy families of Atlanta—the old plantation owners, the founder of Coca-Cola, the sport cars, and the CNN news people. She sounded so knowledgeable that I decided to try my luck.

"Uh, so Esther," I said. "here's a hard question for you. Salt water in Atlanta. What's the first thing that comes to mind?"

The old lady chuckled. "Oh, sugar. That's easy. Whale sharks!"

Frank and I exchange looks.

"Whale Sharks?" Frank asked nervously. "You have those in Atlanta?"

"At the aquarium, sugar," Esther said. "Very famous! Right downtown. Is that where you where you wanted to go?"

An aquarium, that was a good start—I guess. I don't know why an ancient sea god would be at a Georgia aquarium, but we have no other clues where to find him.

"Yes," I said. "That's where we're going."

Esther dropped us at the main entrance, where a line was forming. She insisted on giving us her cell phone number for emergencies, money for a taxi ride back to the Carter Center, and a jar of homemade peach reserves, which for some reason she kept in a box in her trunk. Frank stuck the jar in his backpack and thanked Esther, who had already switched from calling him _sugar_ to _son_.

As she drove away, Frank said, "Are all people in Atlanta that nice?"

"I think we just got _very_ lucky," I said.

"I hope you're right," Hedge grunted. "I can't fight them if they're nice. Let's go beat up some whale sharks. They sound dangerous!"

"Actually Coach Hedge, Whale Sharks are supposed to be gentle," I said.

"What? Then what's the point of me coming here?" Hedge complained.

I decided not to answer that question.

I didn't occur to me that we might have to pay admissions, or stand in line behind a bunch of familiar and kids from summer camps.

Looking at the elementary schoolers in their colorful T-shirts from various day camps, I felt a twinge of sadness. I should be at Camp Half-Blood right now, settling into my cabin for the summer and teaching sword fighting lessons in the arena. These kids had no idea just how crazy a summer camp could be.

I sighed. "Well, I guess we wait in line. Anybody have money?"

Frank checked his pockets. "Three denarri from Camp Jupiter and Five Canadian Dollars."

Hedge patted his gym shorts and pulled out what he found. "Three quarters, two times, a rubber band and—score! A piece of celery."

He started munching on the celery, eyeing the change and the rubberband like they might be next.

"Great." I checked my own pockets. Only thing I had was my pen-sword, Riptide, my thermos, hellhound whistle that I forgot I still have, and my wristwatch-shield Annabeth returned to me the other morning (which felt right on my wrist once more).

I was starting to wonder what was our chance of sneaking in when a woman in a blue-and-green Georgia Aquarium shirt came up to us, smiling brightly.

"Ah, VIP visitors!" she was perky dimpled cheeks, thick-framed glasses, braces, and frizzy black hair pulled to the sides in pigtails, so that even though she was probably in her late twenties, she looked like a school girl nerd—sort of cute, but sort of odd Along with her Georgia Aquarium polo shirt, she wore dark slacks and black sneakers, and she bounced on the balls of her feet like she simply couldn't contain her energy. Her name tag read KATE.

"You have your payment, I see," she said. "Excellent!"

"What?" I asked.

Kate scooped the three denarii out of Frank's hand. "Yes, that's fine. Right this way!"

She spun and trotted off toward the main entrance.

"This is probably a trap," Frank said.

"She's not mortal," Hedge said, sniffing the air. "Probably some sort of goat-eating, demigod-destroying fiend from Tartarus."

That's when it dawn to me that I might have read the name tag wrong.

"Or it could be Phorcys' wife or children," I said.

Hedge and Frank turned to me.

"Phorcys was married to Keto goddess of Sea Monsters," I replied.

"Percy, if you're right—" Frank started.

"Then we must be at the right place," I said.

"You couldn't let my hopes up, could you?" Hedge grumbled, "Well, we better head in."

…

Keto got them past the ticket queue and into the aquarium with no problem.

"Right this way," Keto grinned at me. "It's a _wonderful_ exhibits. You won't be disappointed. So rare we get VIPs."

Keto showed us penguins beluga whales and some smaller fish she didn't know. We passed one huge tank full of tropical species, and when Frank pointed to a particular fish and ask what it was, Keto said, "Oh, those are yellow ones."

Frank turned to me and I shrugged.

We passed the gift shop. Frank slowed down to check out a clearance table with clothes and toys.

"Take what you want," Keto told him.

Frank blinked. "Really?"

"Of course! You're a VIP!"

Frank hesitated. Then he stuffed some T-shirts in his backpack.

"Dude," I said. "What are you doing?"

"She said I could," Frank whispered. "Besides, I need more clothes. I didn't pack for a long trip!"

I guess I shouldn't argue. Especially considering Grover Annabeth and I did ransack an abandoned waterpark's gift shop once for fresh clean clothes. I decided to take some clothes as well because I never know when I'll need extra clothes.

Frank also added a snow globe to his stash, which again I can't complained. Then Frank picked up a braided cylinder about the size of a candy bar.

He squinted at it. "What is—?"

"It's called Chinese Handcuffs," I said. "It's supposed to be a gag gift."

"How are these Chinese?" Frank asked.

I shrugged. "Beats me."

"Come along, boys!" Keto called across the hall.

"I'll show you later," I promised.

Frank stuffed the handcuffs in his backpack, and we kept walking.

We passed through an acrylic tunnel. Fish swam over our heads. It made me feel more at home, but in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but remember the dream vision I had with how I was stuck in the Muskeg only with time slowed down.

 _Snap out of it,_ I thought to myself. _That was Muskeg, this is water. This is my element, Muskeg was Gaea's._

The real threat was Keto. I remember that all the ancient sea and ocean gods before my dad had joined Kronos' side during the Second Titan War. I made the Olympians make an oath to forgive the good Titans and Ancient Gods they imprisoned in the First War like Calypso, but I still had no clue what they did for those who fought against them in the Second Titan War.

We emerged into the viewing room awash with blue light. On the other side of the glass wall was the biggest aquarium tank I'd ever seen. Cruising in circles were dozens of huge fish, including two spotted sharks, each twice my size. They were fat and slow, with open mouths and no teeth.

"Whale Sharks," Coach grumbled.

"That's right, satyr," Keto said.

Under normal circumstances, I would worry how someone knew coach was a satyr. Hedge was wearing pants and specially fitted shoes over his hooves, like satyrs usually did to blend in with mortals. His baseball cap even covered his horns. But if Keto is Keto, then she must be able to tell.

Frank read the plaque next to the tank. "The only whale sharks in captivity in the world," he mused. "That's kind of amazing."

"Yes, and these are small," Keto said. "You should see some of my other babies out in the wild."

I didn't say it out loud but I have a feeling what babies she was talking about: The Gorgon sisters, Echidna, Ladon, and Scylla—monsters I have either faced or encountered that tried to kill me. The only children of hers I met that didn't try to kill me were the Grey Sisters, and that wasn't exactly a pleasant experience either.

"So… Keto," I said. "You are Keto, right? Goddess of sea monsters?"

"Last I check," she said.

"Well, we're actually looking for your husband Phorcys and—"

"Oh, you'll meet him, sillies. The real exhibits are right through here."

She gestured at the far wall. The solid black surface rippled, and another tunnel appeared, leading through a luminous purple tank.

Keto strolled inside. The last thing I wanted to do was to follow, but if Phorcys as really on the other side, and if he had information that would help our quest… I took a deep breath and followed my friends into the tunnel.

As soon as we entered, Coach Hedge whistled. "Now _that's_ interesting."

Gliding above us were multicolored jellyfish the size of trash cans, each with hundreds of tentacles that looked like silky barbed wire. One jellyfish had a paralyzed ten-foot-long swordfish tangled in its grasp. The jellyfish slowly wrapped its tendrils tighter and tighter around its prey.

Keto beamed at Coach Hedge. "There's much more."

Keto led us into an even larger chamber, lined with more aquariums. On one wall, a glowing red sign proclaimed: DEATH IN THE DEEP SEAS! _Sponsor by Monster Donut._

I froze when I read that. I seen the place called Monster Donut, and I know the truth about this place. And if this place is sponsor by a monster nest restaurant, I got a bad feeling about this place.

In one aquarium, a dozen hippocampi—horses with tails of fish—drifted aimlessly. I seen plenty of them in the wild, but this is the first time I seen them in captivity. I tried to speak to them, but they just floated around, occasionally bonking against the glass. Their minds seemed addled.

"This isn't right," I muttered.

I turned and saw something even worse. At the bottom of a smaller tank, two Nereids—female sea spirits—sat cross-legged, facing each other, playing a game of Go Fish. They looked incredibly bored. Their long green hair floated listlessly around their faces. Their eyes were half closed.

The anger built in me so much I could hardly breathed. I send a glare at Keto. "How can you keep them here?"

"I know," Keto sighed. "They aren't very interesting. We tried to teach them some tricks, but with no luck, I'm afraid. We had hopes to include the one and only Ophiotaurus in our exhibit, but the Olympians wouldn't release him to our care after what happened during the Titan War. Hopefully that will change soon. Either way you might like this tank much better."

I wanted to draw my sword and strike this goddess down. The Hippocampi and the Nereids should be free in the ocean. And I knew the way she said _hopefully that will change soon_ about the Ophiotauros I befriended three winters ago and named Tauro (long story).

"Percy, are you okay?" Frank asked.

"This isn't right," I said. "Stay on guard."

Frank nodded.

Keto moved on and I was forced to keep following.

"Holly mother of goats!" cried Coach Hedge. "Look at these beauties!"

He was gawking at two sea serpents—thirty-foot-long monsters with glowing blue scales and jaws that could bite a whale shark in half. In another tank, peeking out from its cement cave, was a squid the size of an eighteen-wheeler, with a beak like a giant bolt cutter.

A third tank held a dozen humanoid creatures with sleek seal bodies, doglike faces, and human hands. They sat on the sand at the bottom of the tank, building things out of Legos, though the creatures seemed just as dazed as the Nereids but my blood boiled at the sight of them.

"Telekhines," I growled. "Why do you have Telekhines here?"

Keto rolled her eyes. "For show, of course. We couldn't call it 'Death in the Deep Seas' if these exhibits weren't dangerous. Don't worry. We keep them well sedated."

"Sedated?" Frank asked. "Is that legal?"

Kero appeared not to have heard. She kept walking pointing out other exhibits. I looked back at the telekhines. One was obviously a youngster. He was trying to make a sword out of Legos, but he seemed to groggy to put the pieces together. I had never liked Telkhines, but watching them sedated like that made me feel sorry for them.

"And _these_ sea monsters," Keto narrated up ahead, "can grow five hundred feet long in the deep ocean. They have over a thousand teeth. And these? Their favorite food is demigod—"

"Demigod?" Frank yelped.

"But they will eat whales or small boats, too." Keto turned to me and blushed. "Sorry… I'm such a monster nerd! I'm sure you know all this, being the son of Poseidon, and all."

I didn't answer, mostly because I was hating this place more and more. Not because of the monsters here, but the fact they were sedated.

"Hello!" said a new voice, booming through the aquarium.

A small man scuttled out of the darkness. He walked sideways on bowed legs like a crab, his black hunched, his arms raised on either side like he was holding invisible plates.

He wore a wet suit that was several horrible shades of green. Glittery silver words printed down the side read: PORKY'S FOLLIES. At first I thought it was my Dyslexia acting up again just as it did when I tried to read Keto's name tag. A headset microphone was clamped over his greasy wiry hair. His eyes were milky blue, one higher than the other, and though he smiled, he didn't look friendly—more like his face was being peeled back in a wind tunnel.

"Visitors!" the man said, the word thundering through the microphone. He had a DJ's voice, deep and resonant, which did not at all match his appearance. "Welcome to Phorcys' Follies!"

He swept his arms in one direction, as if directing our attention to an explosion. Nothing happened.

"Dang it," the man grumbled. "Telekhines, that's your cue! I wave my hands, and you leap energetically in your talk, do a synchronize double spin, and land in pyramid formation. We practiced this!"

The sea demons paid him no attention.

Coach Hedge leaned toward the crab man and sniffed his glittery wet suit. " _Nice_ outfit."

"Thank you!" The man beamed. "I am Phorcys."

Frank shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Why does your suit says _Porky_?"

Phorcys snarled. "Stupid uniform company! They can't get anything right."

Keto tapped her name tag. "I told them my name was _Keto_. They misspelled it _Kate_. My brother… well, now he's Porky."

"I am not!" the man snapped. "I'm not even a little porky. The name doesn't work with Follies either. What kind of show is called Porky's Follies?"

I was just relief I wasn't misreading anything with my Dyslexia.

"But you folks don't want to hear us complain," Phorcys said, "Behold, the wondrous majesty of the giant killer squid."

He gestured dramatically toward the squid tank. This time, fireworks shot off in front of the glass right on cue, sending up geysers of golden sparklers. Music swelled from the loudspeakers. The lights brightened and revealed the wondrous majesty of an empty tank.

The squid had apparently skulked back into its cave.

I don't blame it. If I was forced into being used for someone's amusement like that I would hide too.

"Dang it!" Phorcys yelled again. He wheeled on his wife. "Keto, training was _your_ job. Juggling, I said. Maybe a bit of flesh-rending for the finale. Is that too much to ask?"

"He's shy," Keto said defensively. "Besides, each of his tentacles has sixty-two razorlike barbs that have to be sharpened daily."

For husband and wife Phorcys and Keto acted more like brother and sister. I remembered reading in Halcyon's book that they were siblings that married and had a lot of children—mostly monsters or beings that were turned into monsters. Still, it was a bit strange that they were acting more like siblings than married couples.

Keto turned toward Frank. "Did you know the monstrous squid is the only beast known to eat demigods whole, armor and all, without getting indigestion? It's true!"

Frank stumbled away from her, hugging his gut as if making sure he was still in one piece.

"Keto!" Phorcys snapped—literally, since he clicked his fingers to his thumbs like crab claws. "You'll bore our guest with so much information. Less education, more entertainment! We've discussed this."

"But—"

"No buts! We're here to present 'Death in the Deep Seas!' Sponsored by Monster Donut!"

The last words reverberated through the room with extra echo. Lights flashed. Smoke clouds billowed from the floor, making a donut-shaped rings that smelled like real donuts.

"Available at the concession stand," Phorcys advised. "But you've spent your hard-earned denarii to get the VIP tour, and so you shall! Come with me!"

"Uh right," I said. "Lord Phorcys—"

"Please, call me Phorcys. No need to be formal here," Phorcys said.

"Right—" I said. "I was just wondering—"

"Oh, I know what you're thinking. You're wondering why the god of hidden depths, Lord of watery terrors, and father of a thousand monsters is here in Atlanta right," Phorcys said.

"Something like that," I muttered. Although I already had a good idea.

"Well, too be honest Keto and I made this little mistake supporting the Titans in their war and we were exiled from the ocean—to Atlanta, of all places."

"We thought the Olympians said _Atlantis_ ," Keto explained. "Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead."

"A bit unfair considering those like Nemesis and Hecate got off easy and even received cabins at the Greek Camp for their kids."

I don't know if that was completely true. I had the Olympians pardoned Nemesis and Hecate's demigod children as well as other minor gods and Olympian's demigod children that joined the Titan army, and allowed them to return to camp if they choose. But not all demigods that joined the Titan Army have took up my offer to return to camp. For all I know, they might been killed by unkillable monsters during the time Thantos was held captive.

"Now," Phorcys continued. "witness our Nereid gladiators fight to the death!"

A mirrored disco ball descended into the Nereid exhibit, making the water dance with multicolored light. Two swords fell to the bottom and plunked in the said. The Nereids ignore them and kept playing Go Fish.

"Dang it!" Phorcys stomped his legs sideways.

Keto grimaced at Coach Hedge. "Don't mind Porky. He's _such_ a windbag these days. Come with me, my fine satyr. I'll show you full-color diagrams of monsters' hunting habits."

"Excellent! I'm in for that."

Before I could object, Keto led Coach Hedge away through a maze of aquarium glass, leaving Frank and me alone with the crabby sea god.

A bead of sweat traced it's way down my back. I exchange a nervous look with Frank. This felt like a _divide-and-conquer_ strategy—something I'm familiar with. A part of me wanted to attack Phorcys right now, but we still need information. Not to mention we don't know where Coach Hedge went, and I don't even know where the exit was anymore.

Phorcys must've read my expression.

"Oh, it's fine!" The god assured me. "Keto might be a little boring, but she'll take good care of your friend. And honestly, the best part of the tour is still to come!"

A headache started forming in my head. Something about this seem way off. We better get info now.

"So… Bacchus—the Roman form of the wine god—he send us here. He said he might know what your mom is up to, and these twin giant brothers of yours—Ephialtes and Otis."

"Bacchus thought I would help you?" Phorcys asked.

"Well, yeah." I said. "And from what I read, you know a lot of good stuff, and great at finding out information."

Phorcys tilted his head so his mismatched eyes almost lined up. "You did now? Interesting, most children of that upstart Poseidon don't like picking up a book much less reading."

"Not me, I love reading old Greek stories and I read all about you," I said.

"Oh yeah," Frank agreed. "Percy's a geek when it comes to the old stories."

"Yeah, and I know Bacchus send us to the right god when he sent us to find you," I said, "After all, who better to tell us about what the twin giants are up too than the great Phorcys?"

"The twins?" Phorcys made his voice echoed. Sparklers blazed to life in front of the sea serpent tank. "Yes, I know all about Ephialtes and Otis. Those wannabies! They never fit in with the other giants. The only reason they were resurrected was because they wanted revenge on Bacchus, but they're too puny—and those snakes for feet."

"Snakes for feet?" I remembered the long curly shoes the twins had been wearing in my dream."

"Yes, yes," Phorcys said impatiently. "They plan to humiliate Bacchus before killing him with something spectacular."

Frank glanced at the sparklers. "By using stuff like fireworks and disco balls?"

Phorcys' mouth stretched into that wide tunnel smile. "Exactly! I taught the twins everything they know, or at least I tried to. They never listened. Their first big trick? They tried to reach Olympus by piling mountains on top one another. That was of course before they were anti-Bacchus—or anti-Dionysus if you're Greek. I told them it was ridiculous. 'You should start small,' I said. 'Sawing each other in half, pulling my daughters the Gorgons out of a hat. That sort of thing. And matching sequined outfits. Twins need those!"

"Good advice," I agreed. "And now the twins are—"

"Oh, preparing for their doomsday show in Rome," Phorcys sneered. "It's one of Mother's silly ideas. They're keeping some prisoners in a large bronze jar." He turned toward Frank. "You're a child of Ares, aren't you? You've got that smell. The twins imprisoned your father the same way, once."

"Child of Mars," Frank corrected. "Wait… these giants trapped my dad in a jar?"

"Yeah, they did," I remembered. "They sealed Ares and/or Mars in a bronze jar that suppressed his powers."

"Yes, but it was a stupid stunt," said the sea god. "How can you show off your prisoner if he's in a bronze jar? No entertainment value. Not like my lovely specimen.

He gestured to the hippocampi, who were bonking their heads apathetically against the glass.

I tried to think but I started to feel like the lethargy of the addled sea creatures were starting to affect me. I shook it off, trying to concentrate. "You said this—this doomsday show was Gaea's idea?"

"Well… Mother's plan always have lots of layers." He laughed. "The earth has layers! I supposed that makes sense!"

"Uh-huh," I said. "And so her plan…"

"Oh, she's put out a general bounty on some group of demigods who are supposedly the next great generation that will defeat her children," Phorcys said. "She doesn't really care _who_ kills them, as long as they're killed. Well… I take that back. She was very specific that _two_ must be spared. One boy and one girl. Tartarus only knows why. At any rate, the twins have their own little show planned, hoping it will lure these demigods to Rome. I supposed the prisoner in the jar is a friend of theirs of some such. That, or perhaps they thing this group of demigods will be foolish enough to come into their territory searching for the Mark of Athena." Phorcys elbowed Frank in the ribs. "Ha! Good luck with that, eh?"

Frank laughed nervously. "Yeah. Ha-ha. That would be really dumb because, uh…"

Phorcys narrowed his eyes.

I slipped my hand into my pocket. I closed my fingers around Riptide. Even this old sea god must be smart enough to realize we were the demigods with the bounty on our heads.

But Phorcys just grinned and elbowed Frank again. "Ha! Good one, child of Mars. I suppose you're right. No point talking about it. Even if the demigods found that map in Charleston They'd never make it to Rome alive!"

Frank shot me a look and I nodded. We got a clue we wanted.

"But enough boring educational stuff!" Phorcys said. "You've paid for the VIP treatment. Won't you _please_ let me finish the tour? The three denarii entrance fee is nonrefundable, you know."

I wanted to get out of here. I can't take another one of sedated Mystical sea creatures, but we can't leave Coach Hedge behind. Not to mention, there might be more info we can get out of Phorcys. Like who is the talented friend that guards the statue of Athena and maybe Phorcys knows something about the legend that been passed down from Praetor to Praetor for generations so we can save Jason the explanation.

"Afterward," I said. "can we ask questions?"

"Of course! I'll tell you everything you need to know." Phorcys clapped his hands twice. On the wall under the glowing red sign, a new tunnel appeared, leading into another tank.

"Walk this way!" Phorcys scuttled sideways through the tunnel.

Frank scratched his head. "Do we have to—?" He turned sideways.

"It's just a figure of speech, man," I said. "Come on."


	16. Percy's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part IV**

Okay, something is definitely wrong with this picture. We were in a tunnel that ran along the floor of a gymnasium-size talk that was only filled with water and some cheap decoration. There wasn't even any living plants in there. Just fake kelp, life-sized plastic gingerbread cottage with bubbles forming out of the chimney, and a plastic sculpture guy in an old-fashioned diving suit knelt beside a treasure chest, which popped open every few seconds, spewing bubble and closed again. Littered across the white sand floor were glass marbles the size of bowling balls and assortment of weapons like tridents and spearguns. Outside the tank's display wall was an amphitheater with seating for several hundred.

Phorcys stopped in the middle of the tunnel and spread his arms proudly. "Beautiful exhibit, isn't it?"

"What do you keep in here?" Frank asked. "Giant killer Goldfish?"

Phorcys raised his eyebrows. "Oh, that would be good! But, no, Frank Zhang, descendant of Poseidon. This tank is not for goldfish.

At _descendant of Poseidon,_ Frank flinched. He stepped back, gripping his backpack like a mace he was prepared to swing.

I drew out and uncapped. "You're working for your mother aren't you."

"Of course! How else do you expect me to survive this war," Phorcys said. "I knew you two were the seven chosen demigods from the moment I saw you. You see, even if you made it to Rome, which is _quite_ unlikely, you never defeat my giant brothers without a god fighting at your side. And what god would help you? So I have a better plan. You're not leaving. You're VIPs—Very Important Prisoners."

I lunged and Frank hurled his back pack at the same time, but Phorcys disappeared.

The god's voice reverberated through the aquarium's sound system, echoing down the tunnel. "Yes, good! Fighting is good! You see, Mother never trusted me with big assignments, but she _did_ agree that I could keep anything I caught. You two will make an excellent exhibit—the only demigod spawn of Poseidon with the Mark of Achilles and the last Zhang descendant of Poseidon in North America who just so happen to be a Roman demigod son of Mars captivity. 'Demigod Terrors'—yes, I like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven AM and one PM with an evening show at seven PM."

"You're crazy!" Frank yelled.

"You won't succeed!" I yelled. "Our friends will come and get us!"

"Then the more the merrier," Phorcys said. "Mother only needs two sacrifices so that just leaves me five left."

Frank ran for the exit, only to slam into a glass wall. I ran the other way and found it blacked as well. Our tunnel had become a bubble. I put my hand against the glass and realize it was softening, melting like ice. Soon the water would come crashing in.

"We won't cooperate, Phorcys!" I shouted.

"Oh, I'm optimistic," the sea god's voice boomed. "If you won't fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters everyday. After you get use to the food here, you'll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you'll come to love your new home. Now have fun, you two. I'll see you at feeding time.

The glass dome started cracking and leaking. I knew I could survive this, but Frank was another story.

"Frank! Morph into a Hippocampus quick!" I yelled choosing the one sea creature that came to my mind I can communicate with.

Frank nodded and his body started changing into a half-horse/half-fish creature.

Then the glass dome shattered, and the water crashed in.

…

After the bog incident, I can't help but held my breath the moment the water crashed in until I couldn't no more. Then I finally filled my lungs with water, just like a normal breathing. The water pressure didn't bother me. My clothes didn't get wet. I was in my nature.

I quickly searched for Frank. At first I didn't find him until I looked up and saw a Hippocampi swimming above me.

 _Good Hippocampus form, Frank,_ I thought.

 _I only manage to pull it off because you yelled Hippocampus._ Frank said, _If you didn't I would probably change into a goldfish._

 _Well, let's figure out how to escape,_ I thought.

Frank swam around the tank and reported no exits. The top was covered with Celestial bronze mesh, like the curtains that roll down closed storefronts at the mall. I tried to cut through Riptide, but I couldn't make a dent. I tried to smash through the glass wall with my sword hilt—again, no luck. Then I tried to do the same with the weapons lying around, the bottom of the tank and managed to break three tridents, a sword—that of course didn't felt right in my hand even underwater, and a spear gun.

I didn't risk using the water. I didn't know if it would work since I was dealing with Phorcys' water.

 _It looks like our best chance is Coach Hedge right now,_ I thought.

 _What's the story behind that Faun—I mean satyr?_ Frank asked.

 _Beats me. All I know other than his love for violence is that he brought Clarisse—a daughter of Ares—to Camp Half-Blood successfully from Phoenix,_ I thought.

 _Let me guess, Clarisse is bossy and mean?_ Frank asked.

 _Yeah, but once you get over her arrogance and her mean side, she's respectful and can be trusted,_ I thought. _But you're still the best child of the Olympian God of War I ever met._

 _Thanks. I'll keep that in mind,_ Frank thought. _Hey, look over there._

Outside the glass, Keto was leading Coach Hedge through the amphitheater, lecturing him on something while the coach nodded and admired the stadium seating.

 _We need to get his attention,_ I thought, _Try stomping on the glass with your hooves_.

Frank did what he was told raised his hooves and slammed it against the glass.

 _Thump-Thump._

It wasn't loud enough for a human to hear, but it was loud enough for a satyr to hear. He glanced over his shoulder and saw me. When he did his expression changed to incomprehensive, to surprise, to outrage, then a mask of calm.

Before Keto could noticed, Hedge pointed toward the top of the amphitheater. It looked like he might be screaming, _Gods of Olympus, what is that?_

Keto turned and Coach Hedge promptly took off his fake foot and ninja kicked her in the back of the head with his goat hoof. Keto crumpled to the floor.

I winced as my head throbbed with sympathy, but I had never been happier to have a chaperone who liked mixed martial arts cage matches.

Hedge ran to the glass. He held up his palms like: _What are you doing in there, Jackson?_

Then he yelled a question that might have been: _Where's Frank_?

I pointed at the Hippocampi above me who was shaking one of his hooves like. _'Sup?_

I pounded on the glass and mouthed: _Break it!_

Hedge tried to ninja kick the glass but nothing happened.

Keto started stirring, which wasn't good on our part.

 _On three,_ I mouthed, holding up three fingers and gesturing at the glass. _All three of us hit at the same time._

I never been good at charades—better than my brother Tyson, but not much; but Hedge nodded like he understood. Hitting things was a language the satyr knew well.

I hefted a giant marble since it was heavier than my sword and most likely will do more damage.

 _Frank, stomp on the glass like before,_ I thought, _And be ready to turn back to human incase this works._

Frank bobbed his head in understanding.

Keto rose to her knees. No time to waste.

I counted on my fingers. _One, two, three!_

Frank stomped on the glass with his horse hooves, coach did a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick with his hooves, and I used all my strength to slam the marble on the wall, but I did more than that. I called on the water to obey me, giving it no reason not to. I felt all the pent-up pressure inside the tank, and I put it to use. Water like to be free. Given time, water could overcome any barrier, and it hated to be trapped, just like me. I thought about getting back to Annabeth. I thought about this horrible prison for sea creatures. I thought about shoving Phorcys' microphone down his ugly throat. Fifty thousand gallons of water responded to my anger.

The glass wall cracked. Fracture lines zigzagged from the point of impact, and suddenly the tank burst. Frank quickly change back to human as he and I were sucked out in a torrent of water. I tumbled across the amphitheater floor with Frank, some large marbles, and a clump of plastic seaweed. Keto was just getting to her feet with the diver statue slammed into her like it wanted a hug.

Coach Hedge spit salt water. "Pan's pipes, Jackson! What were you _doing_ in there?"

"Phorcys!" I spluttered. "Trap! Run!"

Alarms blared as we fled the exhibits. We passed the Nereids' tank, then Telkhines. I wanted to free them, but I don't know how. Even if we break the tanks we were hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean side beach.

 _I'll be back,_ I promised, but if the creatures in the exhibits could hear me, they gave me no sign.

Over the sound system, Phorcys' voice boomed: "Percy Jackson!"

Flash pots and sparklers exploded randomly. Donut-scented smoke filled the halls. Dramatic music—five or six different tracks—blared simultaneously from the speakers. Lights popped and caught fire as all the special effects in the building were triggered at once.

Coach Hedge and I stumbled out of the glass tunnel and found ourselves back in the whale shark room. The mortal section of the aquarium was filled with screaming crowds—families and day camp groups running in every direction while the staff raced around frantically, trying to assure everyone it was just a faulty alarm system.

I knew better. My friends and I joined the mortals and ran for the exit.


	17. Annabeth's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part V**

It was Piper's idea to regale stories while we wait for Percy Frank and Hedge was out to keep our minds off the dangers going on or the fact that a simple recon quest seem to be taking longer than usual. Although it ended up mostly me telling them about what Camp Half-Blood did during the Titan War since Hazel only knew things from what Percy told them.

I was telling them about how Percy and I ended up saving Rachel either from her family helicopter crashing into ground because of the pilot falling asleep or being blown out of the sky by the wind gods that were guarding Olympus from the air when Frank came stumbling into the room out of breath as if he been running for miles.

All of us jumped into our feet.

"We need to take off!" Frank gasped. "Now!"

"Where's _Percy_?" I demanded. "And Coach Hedge!"

Frank grabbed his knees, trying to breathe. His clothes were stiff and damp, like they been washed in pure starch. "On deck. They're fine. We're being followed!"

"Followed by _what_?" Jason asked.

"Not sure," Frank panted, "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe by Phorcys and Keto!"

I wanted to strangle the guy but I decided to check on Percy. I turned to Leo, "Go get the ship moving, I'll go check on Percy and Hedge.

Leo put his sandwich between his teeth, pirate style, and ran pass Frank to the helm. I passed Frank as well and headed up with Jason and Piper following as Hazel stayed behind with Frank.

Percy and Hedge lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Coach Hedge was missing his shoes. He grinned at the sky, muttering, "Awesome. Awesome." Percy was still in good condition physically due to his invulnerability, but he was exhausted as he grasped my hand weakly, as if to say, _Be right with you, as soon as the world stop spinning_.

Leo must of worked his magic on the controls because soon the _Argo II_ was rising into the sky. I took the aft crossbow ready for any attack as Jason acted as look out.

Percy and Hedge started to recover and Frank and Hazel joined us after Atlanta skyline was a hazy smudge in the distance.

"Charleston," Percy said, hobbling around the deck like an old man. He still sounded pretty shaken up. "Set course for Charleston."

"Charleston?" Jason said the name as if it brought bad memories. "What exactly did you find in Atlanta?"

Frank took off his backpack, unzipped it, and started bringing out souvenirs. "Some peach preserves. A couple of T-shirts. A snow globe. And, um, these not-really-Chinese handcuffs."

"I think Jason meant what we found out, Frank," Percy said.

"Oh…" Frank turned slightly pink. "Sorry."

I sighed, "How about you guys start from the top of the story."

We gathered on the quarterdeck so Leo could hear the conversation as he navigated. Percy and Frank took turns relating what had happened in the Georgia Aquarium, with Coach Hedge interjecting from time to time: "That was awesome!" or "Then I kicked her in the head!"

At least the coach seemed to have forgotten about Percy and me falling asleep in the storage room the night before. But judging from Percy's story, I had worse problems to worry about than being grounded.

When Percy explained about the captive sea creatures in the aquarium, I understand why he seemed so upset. Percy had a soft spot for most sea creatures, especially those that serves under Poseidon's domain. To hear that they were held captive and sedated, even I wanted to do something about it.

"That's terrible," I said. "We need to help them."

"We will," Percy said, "I plan to contact Grover so he can get the other Council of Cloven Elders to help."

"Council of Cloven Elders?" Hazel asked.

"Big bosses of all satyrs and nature spirits in Camp Half-Blood," I explained. "They're in charge making sure satyrs are send out to find new Greek demigods, and making sure of the preservation what's left of the late Lord of the Wild: Pan's wildlife."

Hazel nodded. At least Hazel knew what I mean by late. It may seem odd saying that about an immortal being since Late can refers to dead. Although immortals are immortal, they can disappeared if they feel they're not

"But right now we have to deal with this bounty on our heads," Percy said.

Coach had lost interest in the conversation—probably because it was no longer about him—and wandered toward the bow of the ship, practicing his roundhouse kicks and complimenting himself on his technique.

I gripped the hilt of my dagger. "A bounty on our heads… as if we didn't attract enough monsters already."

"Do we get WANTED posters?" Leo asked. "And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

Hazel wrinkled her nose. " _What_ are you talking about?"

"Just curious how much I'm going for these days," Leo said. "I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe… but am I worth, like, two Franks or three Franks?"

"Hey!" Frank complained.

"Knock it off," I ordered. "At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston, to find this map."

Piper leaned against the control panel. She'd done her braid with white feathers today, which looked good with her dark brown hair. I wondered how she found the time. I could barely remember to _brush_ my hair.

"A map," Piper said. "But a map to _what_?"

"The Mark of Athena." Percy looked at me as if wondering if he should continue. I'll admit I manage to build the courage to bring it up this morning, but after hearing what Frank Percy and Hedge went through, I don't feel like talking about it.

I send him a look that said, _Tell them as little as possible._

Percy must have sensed it, because he continued: " _Whatever_ that is. We know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and Greeks."

" _The giants' bane_ ," Hazel added.

Percy nodded. "And in my dream, the twin giants said something about a statue but nothing else."

I found myself grateful that the giants didn't say what it was and that Percy figured it out on his own. Otherwise it be hard to cover that much up.

"Um…" Frank rolled his not-exactly-Chinese handcuffs between his fingers. "According to Phorcys, we have to be insane to try to find it. But what _is_ it?"

Everyone except for Percy looked at me. My scalp tingled, as if the thoughts in my brain were agitating to get out. I still remember what Percy said about my mother's statue last night, but I still couldn't believe it was true.

I noticed Jason studying me, as if he knew _exactly_ what I was thinking and didn't like it any more than I did. Again I couldn't help but wonder: _Why does this guy make me so nervous? Is he really on my side?_

I shook the thoughts away, thinking that it might be my mom talking.

"Percy and I came up with some ideas what it is the other night, but I can't be certain," I said. "Maybe I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name _Charleston_ … have you been there before?"

Jason glanced uneasily at Piper, and my guess it might have to do with Reyna.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S. _Hunley_."

"The what?" Piper asked.

"Whoa!" Leo said. "That's the first successful military submarine. From the Civil War. I always wanted to see that."

"C.S.S.—that's the signia of the confederates right?" Percy asked. "Like the C.S.S. Birmingham."

"The what?" Frank asked.

"A confederate ship Ares summoned for his daughter Clarisse," I explained.

"It probably was for Greek Demigods that were on the Confederate side," Jason said, "The Romans and Greeks weren't divided between North and South or on the issue of slavery as the Mortals were during the Civil War."

"Considering my grandmother was a slave, that's reassuring," Hazel responded.

"What about the C.S.S. _Hunley_ , though?" I asked.

"It was design by Roman demigods," Jason said. "It held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes—until we rescue them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."

"You think the map is there?" Percy asked.

Jason shrugged. "If it was hidden by Romans in Charleston, it's possible. There are a lot of relics from the Civil War there. I know the layout so I can lead a team inside

"I'll go with you!" Leo volunteered.

Jason nodded. He turned to Frank, who was trying to pull his fingers out of the Chinese handcuffs. "You should come too, Frank. We might need you."

Frank looked surprised. "Me? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Jason said. "There are ghost of defeated Confederates at the museum in Charleston, and since you're a son of Mars, they should be bound to you."

"It should be easier than controlling Gray, that's for sure," Percy agreed.

"Gray?" I asked.

"A spactus that could only be summon from a spear Mars gave Frank for the quest to free Thantos," Percy added.

"What happened to it?" Piper asked, "The spear I mean."

"It only had three charges, and I used all of them up," Frank said. "After that it dissolved. After that, I don't know what happened to Gray."

"Each of those times you did it to help us and your grandmother and the people on the train in Alaska," Percy reminded him, "Besides, ghost should be easier for you to control than a spactus."

"Okay." Frank relented. "Sure." He frowned at his fingers, trying to pull them out of the trap. "Uh, how do you—?"

Leo chuckled. "Man, you've never seen those before? They're a simple trick to getting out"

Frank tugged again with no luck. Even Hazel was trying not to laugh.

Frank grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said dryly, doing his best impression of my old teacher Chiron the centaur. "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turned into iguanas."

All of us burst out laughing. Frank turned back to human, picked up the handcuffs, and shoved them in his backpack. He managed an embarrassed smile.

"So…" Frank said, clearly anxious to change the subject. "Is that the only place we need to visit?"

Jason's smile faded. Whatever he was thinking about, I could tell it wasn't pleasant.

"Yeah," he said. "The other place is called the Battery—it's a park right outside the harbor. The last time I was there… with Reyna…" He glanced at Piper, then rushed on. "We saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along. We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling—she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her."

We waited.

"What did it say?" I asked.

"Reyna wouldn't tell me," Jason admitted. "But it must have been important. She seemed… shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that."

I considered that. After our experience with the eidolons, I didn't like the idea of approaching a ghost, especially one that changed people with bad news or prophecies. On the other hand, my mom was the goddess of knowledge, and knowledge was the most powerful weapon. I couldn't turn down a possible source of information.

"A girls' adventure, then," Annabeth said. "Piper and Hazel can come with me."

Both nodded, though Hazel looked nervous. No doubt her time in the Underworld had given her enough ghost experience for two life times. Piper's eyes flashed defiantly, like anything Reyna could do, she could do.

I quickly realized that if the six of us went on these two quest, it would leave Percy alone on the ship with Coach Hedge, which was maybe not a situation a caring girlfriend should put him in. Nor was I eager to let Percy out of my sight again—not after we'd been apart for so many months. On the other hand, Percy looked so troubled by his experience with those imprisoned sea creatures, I thought maybe he could use a rest. I met his eyes, asking him a silent question. He nodded as if to say, _Yeah. It'll be fine._

"So that's settled." I turned to Leo, who was studying the console, listening to Festus creak and click over the intercom. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"

"Good question," he muttered. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us—long-range radar, still not in sight."

Piper leaned over the console. "Are you sure they're Roman?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "No, Pipes. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they're Roman! I suppose we could turn the ship around and fight—"

"Which would be a very bad idea," Jason said, "and remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome."

"Or I've got another idea," Leo said. "If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated. _Instead_ , we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning—"

Hazel started to protest, but Leo raised his hand. "I know, I know. Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."

"It's June twenty-seventh," Hazel said. "After today, four more days. Then he dies."

"I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail. We still should have enough time to reach Rome."

Hazel scowled. "When you say _should have enough…_ "

Leo shrugged. "How do you feel about _barely enough_."

Hazel put her face in her hands for a count of three. "Sounds about typical for us."

I decided to take that as a green light. "Okay, Leo. What kind of decoy are we talking about?"

"I'm glad you asked!" He pushed a few buttons on the console, rotated the turntable, and repeatedly pressed the _A_ button on his Wii controller really, really fast. He called into the intercom, "Buford? Ready for duty, please."

Frank took a step back. "There's somebody else on this ship? Who is Buford?"

A puff of steam shot from the stairwell, and Leo's automatic table climbed on deck.

I hadn't seen much of Buford during the trip. He mostly stayed in the engine room. (Leo insisted that Buford had a crush on the engine.) He was a three-legged table with a mahogany top. His bronze base had several drawers, spinning gears, and a set of steam vents. Buford was toting a bag like a mail sack tied to one of his legs. He clattered to the helm and made a sound like a train whistle.

"This is Buford," Leo said.

"You name your furniture?" Frank asked.

Leo snorted. "Man, you just _wish_ you had furniture this cool."

"Buford is one of your cabin's inventions isn't it?" Percy asked

"Yep! And before you ask, he was invented long before my brother Beckendorf was a camper" Leo replied.

"Longer than we were campers as well," I quickly added since Percy and I been campers longer than Beckendorf.

Percy shrugged like the thought didn't fazed him.

"Buford," Leo said, "are you ready for Operation End Table?"

Buford spewed steam. He stepped to the railing. His mahogany top split into four pie slices, which elongated into wooden blades. The blades spun, and Buford took off.

"Yep! Definitely one of Hephaestus' cabin's inventions," Percy muttered. "What's in the bag?"

"Dirty laundry," Leo said. "I hope you don't mind, Frank."

Frank choked. "What?"

"It'll throw the eagles off our scent."

"Those were my only extra pants!"

Leo shrugged. "I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he's out. Hopefully he will." He rubbed his hands and grinned. "Well! I call that a good day's work. I'm gonna calculate our detour route now. See you at dinner!"

…

After hearing what Percy Frank and Hedge went through today, I wasn't surprise when Percy passed out in his cabin early. The Achilles Curse would take a lot out of anyone, and no matter how much he would argue against it, I wouldn't be surprise if he was mentally exhausted too.

So after I ended up spending the evening staring at my laptop given to me by my hero and half-brother Daedalus that I brought with me on this trip.

Two years ago, I'd inherited the machine from Daedalus, and it was loaded with invention ideas, schematics, and diagrams, most of which I was still trying to figure out. After two years, a typical laptop would have been out of date, but I figure Daedalus' machine was still fifty years ahead of its time. It could expand into a full size laptop, shrink into a tablet computer, or fold into a wafer of metal smaller than a cell phone. It ran faster than any computer I'd ever had, could access satellites or Hephaestus-TV broadcast from Mount Olympus, and ran custom-made programs that could do just about anything except tie shoelaces. There might have been an app for that, too, but I hadn't found it yet.

I sat on my bunk, using one of Daedalus' 3-D-rendering programs to study a model of the Parthenon in Athens. I'd always yearned to visit it, both because I loved architecture and because it was the most famous temple to my mother.

Now I might get my wish, if we live long enough to reach Greece. But the more I thought about the Mark of Athena, and the old Roman legend Reyna had mention, the more nervous I got.

I didn't want to, but I recalled my argument with my mother. Even after so many weeks, the words still stung.

It happened before apparently Percy called from Alaska to his mom Sally to let her know he was alive (which I understand the reasons why and was grateful she pass the message to me). I had been riding the subway back from the Upper East Side after visiting Sally. During those long months when Percy was missing, I made the trip at least once a week—partly to give Sally Jackson and her husband Paul an update on the search, and partly because Sally and I needed to lift each other's spirits and convince one another that Percy would be fine.

Even before Percy and I started dating, Sally was like a second mother to me ever since she accepted Thalia Luke and me in her apartment with Percy when Percy and I were seven and housed us for a while before getting us an escort to camp. So coming to see her and cry things out before giving her the news on the search helped me just as much as helping her.

The spring had been especially hard. By then, I had reason to hope Percy was alive, since Hera's plan seemed to involve sending him to the Roman side, but I couldn't be sure where he was. Jason had remembered his old camp's location more or less, but all the Greeks' magic—even that o the campers of Hecate's cabin—couldn't confirm that Percy was there, or anywhere. He seemed to have disappeared from the planet. Rachel, our Oracle, had tried to read the future, and while she couldn't see much, she was certain Percy would make contact when Hera no longer has a grip on his memory (which turned out to because of Gorgon's blood).

Nevertheless, I had spent every spare moment scouring all sources for any rumor of Percy. I had talked to nature spirits, read legends about Rome, dug for clues on Daedalus' notebook, and spent hundreds of golden drachmas on Iris-messages to every friendly spirit, demigod, or friendly monster I'd ever met (mostly to Percy's brother Tyson), all with no luck.

That particular afternoon, coming back from Sally's, I had felt even more drained than usual. Sally and I had cried at first, and then attempted to pull ourselves together, but our nerves were frayed. Finally I took the Lexington Avenue subway down to Grand Central.

There were other ways to get back to my high school dorm from the Upper East Side, but I liked going through Grand Central Terminal. The beautiful design and the vast open space reminded me of Mount Olympus.

I had just passed Sweet on America, the candy shop where Percy's mom used to work before getting her degree in writing and getting a new job, and was thinking about going inside to buy some blue candy for old times' sake, when I saw Athena studying the subway map on the wall.

"Mother!" I couldn't believe it. I hadn't seen my mom in months—not since Zeus had closed the gates of Olympus and forbidden all communication with demigods.

Many times, I had tried to call on my mom anyway, pleading for guidance, sending up burnt offerings with every meal at camp. I had no response. Now here was Athena, dressed in jeans and hiking boots and a red flannel shirt, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders. She held a backpack and a walking stick like she was prepared for a long journey.

"I must return home," Athena murmured, studying the map. "The way is complex. I wish Odysseus were here. He would understand."

"Mom!" I said. "Athena!"

The goddess. She seemed to look right through me with no recognition.

"That was my name," the goddess said dreamily. "Before they sacked my city, took my identity, made me _this_." She looked at her clothes in disgust. "I must return home."

I stepped back in shock. "You're… you're Minerva?"

Ever since Jason revealed more about the Roman Camp, I started believing that the gods might have two different personas, but until now I could never imagine my mom as Minerva the way Romans did. So seeing Minerva was shocking to say the least.

"Don't call me that!" The goddess' gray eyes flared with anger. "I used to carry a spear and a shield. I held victory in the palm of my hand. I was so much more than this."

"Mom." My voice trembled. "It's me, Annabeth. Your _daughter_."

"My daughter…" Athena—I mean Minerva—repeated. "Yes, my children will avenge me. They must destroy the Romans. Horrible, dishonorable, copycat Romans. Hera argued that we must keep the two camps apart. I said, No, let them fight. Let my children destroy the usurpers."

My heartbeat thumped in my ears. "You _wanted_ that? But you're wise. You understand warfare better than any—"

"Once!" the goddess said. "Replaced. Sacked. Looted like a trophy and carted off—away from my beloved homeland. I lost so much. I swore I would never forgive. Neither would my children." She focus more closely on me. "You are my daughter?"

"Yes."

The goddess fished something from the pocket of her shirt—an old fashioned subway token—and pressed it into my hand.

"Follow the Mark of Athena," the goddess said. "Avenge me."

I had looked at the coin. As I watched, it changed from a New York subway token to an ancient silver drachma, the kind used by Athenians. It showed an owl, Athena's sacred animal, with an olive branch on one side and a Greek inscription on the other.

 _The Mark of Athena_.

At the time, I had no idea what it meant. I didn't understand why my mom was acting like this. Minerva or not, she shouldn't be so confused.

"Mom…" I tried to make my tone as reasonable as possible. "Percy is missing. I need your help." I had started to explain Hera's plan for bringing the camps together to battle Gaea and the giants, but the goddess stamped her walking stick against the marble floor.

"Never!" she said. "Anyone who helps Rome must perish. If you would join them, you are no child of mine. You have already failed me."

"Mother!"

"I care nothing about this _Percy_. If he has gone over to the Romans, let him perish. Kill him. Kill all the Romans. Find the Mark, follow it to its source. Witness how Rome has disgraced me, and pledge your vengeance."

"Athena isn't the goddess of revenge." My nails bit into my palms. The silver coin seemed to grow warmer in my hand. "Percy is everything to me."

"And revenge is everything to me," the goddess snarled. "Which of us is wiser?"

"Something is _wrong_ with you. What happened?"

"Rome happened!" the goddess said bitterly. "See what they have done, making a _Roman_ of me. They wish me to be their goddess? Then let them taste their own evil. Kill them, child."

"No!"

"Then you are nothing." The goddess turned to the subway map. Her expression softened, becoming confused and unfocused. "If I could find the route… the way home, then perhaps—But, no. Avenge me or leave me. You are no child of mine."

My eyes stung. I thought of a thousand horrible things I wanted to say, but I couldn't. I had turned and fled.

I tried to throw away the silver coin, but it simply reappeared in my pocket, the way Riptide did for Percy. Unfortunately, my drachma had no magical powers—at least nothing useful. It only gave me nightmares, and no matter what I tried, I couldn't get rid of it.

Now, sitting in my cabin aboard the _Argo II_ , I could feel the coin growing warm in my pocket. I stared at the model of the Parthenon on my computer screen and thought about the argument with Athena—I mean Minerva—whatever form my mom was in. Phrases I'd heard over the last few days swirled in my head: _A talented friend, ready for her visitor. No one will retrieve that statue. Wisdom's daughter walks alone._

And after my conversation with Percy the other night might have confirmed what I thought. I prayed that what Percy said about the statue of Athena was just a theory and that it could be wrong, but something in the back of my mind told me he was right on the dot.

A knock on the door made me jump.

I hoped it might be Percy, but instead Frank Zhang poked his head in.

"Um, sorry," he said. "Could I—?"

I was so startled to see him, it took me a moment to realize he wanted to come in.

"Sure," I replied. "come in."

Frank stepped inside, looking around the cabin. There wasn't much to see. On my desk sat a stack of books, a journal and pen, a picture of Thalia Luke Percy and me almost ten years ago, and a picture of my dad flying his Sopwith Camel biplane, grinning and giving a thumbs-up. I liked both photos. They reminded me of the good parts of my past, especially the one of my dad after he strafed an army of monsters with Celestial bronze machine guns just to protect me—pretty much the best present a girl could hope for. That moment practically made up for everything my dad did that made me run away when I was seven.

Hanging from a hook on the wall was my New York Yankees cap. Just as Percy's thermos is his prized possession from his dad, that cap was a prize possession from my mom. Once, the cap had had the power to turn its wearer invisible. Since my argument with Athena, the cap had lost its magic. I wasn't sure why, but I'd stubbornly brought it along on the quest. Every morning I would try it on, hoping it would work again. So far it had only served as a reminder of my mother's wrath.

Other than that, my cabin was bare. I kept it clean and simple, which helped me think. Most wouldn't believe it with my excellent grades, but like most demigods, I was ADHD. When there were too many distractions in my personal space, I was never able to focus.

"So… Frank," I ventured. "What can I do for you?"

Out of all the kids on the ship, Frank was the one I thought least likely to payed me a visit.

When I first met Frank and found out he was the descendant of Poseidon on his mother's side, I couldn't believe the big guy was related to Percy. But after his help with the Tar Monsters at the Great Salt Lake and hearing what he did back in the Georgia Aquarium and how he helped Percy and Coach Hedge break through the glass, I started to accept the idea that Frank was related to my boyfriend. In fact, he seemed more Poseidon than a child of a god of war.

Frank blushed and pulled his Chinese handcuffs out of his pocket.

"Percy promised to show me how this worked, but I think after what we went through he forgot," Frank said. "I didn't feel comfortable asking anyone else about this, but since Percy is asleep, I figured to ask you."

I process his words with a slight delay. Frank was turning to _me_ for help? Then it dawn on me: of course, Frank was embarrassed. Leo had been razzing him pretty hard. Nobody liked being a laughingstock. Frank's determined expression said he never wanted that to happen again. He wanted to understand the puzzle, without the iguana solution.

Frank trusted me not to make fun of him. I wouldn't be surprise if another reason Frank came to me had something to do with any stories Percy told him. Even if that was the reason, I felt strangely honored that Frank decided to trust me. Besides, I had a soft spot for anyone who was seeking knowledge—even about something as simple as Chinese Handcuffs.

I patted the bunk next to me. "Absolutely. Sit down."

Frank sat on the edge of the mattress, as if preparing for a quick escape. I took the Chinese Handcuffs and held them next to my laptop.

I hit the key for an infrared scan. A few seconds later a 3-D model of the Chinese handcuffs appeared on screen. I turned the laptop so that Frank could see.

"Cutting-edge Ancient Greek technology," I said. "Okay, look. The structure is a cylindrical biaxial braid, so it has resilience." I manipulated the image so it squeezed in and out like an accordion. "When you put your fingers inside, it loosens. But when you try to remove them, the circumference shrinks as the braid catches and tightens. There's no way you can pull free by struggling."

Frank stared blankly as if processing what I said. Finally he asked, "But what's the answer?"

"Well…" I showed him some of my calculations—how the handcuffs could resist tearing under incredible stress, depending on the material used in the braid. "Pretty amazing for a woven structure, right? Doctors used it for traction, and electrical contractors—"

"Uh, but the answer?"

I laughed. "You don't fight _against_ the handcuffs. You push your fingers in, not out. That loosens the braid."

"Oh." Frank tried it and it worked. "Thanks." Then Frank looked at the computer screen. "I guess Percy wasn't joking when he said you can make the simplest things sound complex. In a good way, I mean."

I blushed. "Percy said that."

Frank nodded. "But wouldn't it be easier to just to show me?"

I hesitated. Sometimes wisdom came from strange places, even a guy who can turn into any animal at will. "I guess you're right. I learn something too."

Frank tried the handcuffs again. "It's easy when you know the solution."

"Many of the best traps are simple," I said. "You just have to think about it, and hope your victim doesn't."

Frank nodded though he seemed reluctant to leave.

"You know," I said, "Leo doesn't intend to be mean. He's just got a big mouth. When people make him nervous he uses humor as a defense."

Frank frowned. "Why would I make him nervous?"

"You're twice his size. You can turn into a dragon and a Hippocampus." _And Hazel likes you_ , I thought, though I didn't say that.

Frank didn't look convinced. "Leo can summon fire." He twisted the handcuffs. Annabeth… sometime, maybe could you help me with another problem that's not so simple? I've got… I guess you'd call it my own Achilles heel."

I felt like I'd just had a drink of Roman hot chocolate. I'd never gotten the term _warm and fuzzy_ , but Frank gave her that sensation. He was just a big teddy bear. I could see why Hazel liked him. "I'd be happy to," I said. "Does anyone else know about this Achilles' heel?"

"Just Percy and Hazel," He said, "Percy… he's a really good guy. I would follow him anywhere, and considering he's one of my last living relative that isn't an immortal being, I'm willing to help him out. I thought you should know."

I sense the part about Percy being his last living relative was a sensitive subjects and I decided not to ask about it. Instead, I patted his arm. "Percy has a knack for picking good friends. Like you. But, Frank, you can trust anyone on this ship. Even Leo. We're all a team. We have to trust each other."

"I—I suppose."

"So what's the weakness you're worried about?"

Frank sighed. "You heard of the Menelaus curse, right?"

I nodded. It wasn't really a curse, but I know what he's talking about—the hero who first caught Atalanta's heart who's life was bound to a piece of firewood that his mother threw in the hearth which led to his death. But I didn't realize what it had to do with Frank's weakness, until…

That's when my eyes widened as I realized quickly that was Frank's weakness.

I was about to say something when the dinner bell sounded, and Frank jumped.

"Maybe… maybe we can talk about this later," Frank suggested, "And Annabeth—thanks." He held up the Chinese Handcuffs. "Keep it simple."

I nodded. "Keep it simple."


	18. Annabeth's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part VI**

That night, I manage to sleep without nightmares, which just made me uneasy when I woke up—like the calm before the storm.

Leo docked the ship at a pier in Charleston Harbor, right next to the seawall. That way if the ship needed defending, Percy can use the power of the sea. Along the shore was a historical district with tall mansions, palm trees, and wrought-iron fence. Antique cannons pointed at the water.

By time I came up on deck, Jason Frank and Leo had already left for the museum. According to Coach Hedge, they'd promised to be back by sunset. Piper and Hazel were ready to go, but first I turned to Percy, who was leaning on the starboard rail, gazing over the bay. In his hand I noticed he held a golden drachma.

I took his hand. "What are you going to do while we're gone?"

"First contact Grover, to let him know of the situation at the Atlanta's Aquarium," Percy said. "Then maybe jump into the harbor and see if I can get some advice from the local Nereids."

His hair was dark and tangled as usual, but somewhere mixed into it was a gray streak he got from holding up the sky when we were fourteen. I had one myself as I held up the sky for a time. Although over the years, the streak blended into our hair, and unless you really look for it, you wouldn't have noticed. I wondered if one day the streak would disappeared altogether. I secretly hoped not as it was one of our symbolic bond.

I kissed him. "Good luck, Seaweed Brain. Just come back to me, okay?"

"I will," he promised. "You do the same."

I tried to push down my growing unease.

I turned to Piper and Hazel. "Okay, ladies. Let's find the ghost of Battery."

…

I started wishing I jumped into the harbor with Percy. I even would've preferred a museum full of ghost.

Not that I minded hanging out with Hazel and Piper. At first, we had a pretty good time walking along the Battery. According to the signs, the seaside park was called White Point Gardens. The ocean breeze swept away the muggy heat of the summer afternoon, and it was pleasantly cool under the shade of the palmetto trees. Lining the road were old Civil War cannons and bronze statues of historical figures, which made me shuddered. I thought about the statues in New York City during the Titan War, which had come to life thanks to Daedalus' command twenty-three. I remembered Percy asking if it was possible for there being other automatons like it in other places like Richmond Virginia. When I asked Percy about it, he said it was nothing, but I'm starting to think what I'm wondering about the bronze statues are what he was referring too.

I also remember about Percy talking about Daedalus knowing about the Roman Camp. If you had asked me a month before Percy disappeared if Daedalus knew of another camp I would think they were crazy, but now I'm not sure. Daedalus manage to stayed alive for thousands of years using an automaton body, possibly under hundreds of alias. If Frank's ancestors were able to pass off as Roman demigods in multiple occasions, I started to wonder if how Daedalus gain the Romans trust. That is, of course, if he was able too.

Charleston Harbor glittered in the sun. To the north and south, stripes of land stretched out like arms enclosing the bay, and sitting in the mouth of the harbor, about a mile out, was an island with a stone fort. I had a vague memory of that fort being important in the Civil War, but I didn't spend much time thinking about it.

Mostly I breathed in the sea air and thought about Percy. Gods forbid I ever had to break up with him. I'd never be able to visit the sea again without remember my broken heart. I was relieved when we turned away from the seawall and explored the inland side of the gardens.

The park wasn't crowded. I imagined that most of the locals had gone on summer vacation, or were holed up at home taking a siesta. We strolled along South Battery Street, which was lined with four-story Colonial mansions. The brick walls were blanketed with ivy. The facades had soaring white columns like Roman temples. The front gardens were bursting with rosebushes, honeysuckle, and flowering bougainvillea. It looked like Demeter had set the timer on all the plants to _grow_ several decades ago, then forgotten to come back to check on them.

"Kind of reminds me of New Rome," Hazel said. "All the big mansions and gardens. The columns and arches."

I nodded. I remembered reading how the American South had often compared itself to Rome back before the Civil War. In the old days their society had been all about impressive architecture, honor, and codes of chivalry. And on the evil side, it had also been about slavery. _Rome had slaves,_ some Southerners had argued, _so why shouldn't we?_

I shivered as I quickly decided not to bring it up with Hazel around. Considering her grandmother was a slave, I don't think Hazel wanted to be reminded that the camp that welcomed her might have had history with slavery.

I loved the architecture here. The houses and the gardens were very beautiful, very Roman. But I wondered why beautiful things had to be wrapped up with evil history. Or was it the other way around? Maybe the evil history made it necessary to build beautiful things, to mask the darker aspects.

I shook my head. Frank said that Percy told him I can make even the simplest things seem complicated. I guess by thinking about this kind of stuff is a good example of it.

The other girls didn't say much.

Piper kept looking around like she expected an ambush. She had said she'd seen this park in the blade of her knife, but she wouldn't elaborate. My guess was that she was afraid too. After all, the last time Piper had tried to interpret a vision from her knife, Percy and Jason had almost killed each other in Kansas.

Hazel also seemed preoccupied. Maybe she was taking in their surroundings, or maybe she was worried about her brother. In less than four days, unless we found him and freed him, Nico would be dead.

I felt that deadline weighing on me, too. I'd always had mixed feelings about Nico di Angelo. I suspected he'd had a crush on me ever since we rescued him and his sister Bianca from that military academy in Maine; but I had never felt any attraction to Nico. He was too young and too moody. And unlike Bianca, Nico had this darkness in him that made me uneasy. Then again, Bianca probably have darkness in her too if she went through what Nico went through instead of joining the hunters.

Still, I felt responsible for him. Nico and Bianca were orphaned both orphaned children when we found them. Hades kept his distance and had any memory they might have of him to keep them safe from Zeus and Poseidon after World War II, and when Bianca joined the Hunters, Nico was left on his own to deal with the resentment most campers had on him for being the son of Hades due to the horrible history that wrapped around children of Hades like Hitler starting the Holocaust. Finally, Nico couldn't take it anymore left camp and started drifting through the world alone. Even now, when he is welcomed by the campers of Camp Half-Blood, Nico kept his distance.

I was so deep in thought, I might have kept walking around the park forever, but Piper grabbed my arm.

"There." She pointed across the harbor. A hundred yards out, a shimmering white figure floated on the water. At first, I thought it might be a buoy or a small boat reflecting the sunlight, but it was definitely glowing, and it was moving more smoothly than a boat, making a straight line toward us. As it got closer, I could tell it was the figure of a woman."

"The ghost," Piper said.

"That's not a ghost," Hazel said. "No kind of spirit glows that brightly."

I decided to take her word for it. I couldn't imagine being Hazel, dying at such a young age and coming back from the Underworld, knowing more about the dead than the living.

As if in a trance, Piper walked across the street toward the edge of the seawall, narrowly avoiding a horse drawn carriage.

"Piper!" I called.

"We'd better follow her," Hazel said.

By the time Hazel and I caught up to her, the ghostly apparition was only a few yards away.

Piper glared at it like the sight offended her.

"It _is_ her," she grumbled.

I squinted at the ghost, but it blazed too brightly to make out details. Then the apparition floated up to the seawall and stopped in front of them. The glow faded.

I gasped. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful and strangely familiar. Her face was hard to describe. Her features seemed to shift from those of one glamorous movie star to another. Her eyes sparkled playfully—sometimes green or blue or amber. Her hair changed from long, straight blond to dark chocolatey curls.

I was instantly jealous. I'd always wished I had dark hair. I felt like nobody took me seriously as a blonde. I had to work twice as hard to get recognition as a strategist, an architect, a senior counselor—anything that had to do with brains.

The woman was dressed like a Southern belle, just as Jason had described. Her gown had a low-cut bodice of pink silk and a three tiered hoop skirt with white scalloped lace. She wore tall white silk gloves, and held a feathered pink-and-white fan on her chest.

Everything about her seemed calculated to make me feel inadequate: the easy grace with which she wore her dress, the perfect yet understated makeup, the way she radiated feminine charm that no man could possibly resist.

I realized that my jealously was irrational. The woman was _making_ me feel this way. I'd had this experience before. I recognized this woman, even though her face changed by the second, becoming more beautiful.

"Aphrodite," I said.

"Venus?" Hazel asked in amazement.

"Mom," Piper said, with no enthusiasm.

"Girls!" the goddess spread her arms like she wanted a group hug.

We did not oblige. Hazel backed into a palmetto tree.

"I'm so glad you're here," Aphrodite said. "War is coming. Bloodshed is inevitable. So there's really only one thing to do."

"Uh… and that is?" I ventured.

"Why, have tea and chat, obviously. Come with me!"

…

Aphrodite knew how to do tea.

She led us to the central pavilion in the gardens—a white pillared gazebo, where a table was set with silverware, china cups, and of course a steaming pot of tea, the fragrance shifting as easily as Aphrodite's appearance—sometimes cinnamon, or jasmine, or mint. There were plates of scones, cookies, and muffins, fresh butter and jam—all of which I figured, were incredibly fattening; unless of course, you were the immortal goddess of love.

Aphrodite sat—or held court, rather—in a wicker peacock chair. She poured tea and served cakes without getting a speck on her clothes, her posture always perfect, her smile dazzling.

It made me hate her more and more the longer we stayed.

"Oh, my sweet girls," the goddess said. "I do love Charleston! The weddings I've attended in this gazebo—they bring tears to my eyes. And the elegant balls in the days of the Old South. Ah, they were lovely. Many of these mansions still have statues of me in their gardens, though they called me Venus."

"Which are you?" I asked. "Venus or Aphrodite?"

The goddess sipped her tea. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Annabeth Chase, you've grown into quite a beautiful young lady. You really should do something with your hair, though. Just because you still have gray streaks in it doesn't mean you can't hide them. And, Hazel Levesque, your clothes—"

"My clothes?" Hazel looked down at her rumpled denim, not self-consciously, but baffled, as if she couldn't imagine what was wrong with them.

"Mother!" Piper said. "You're embarrassing me."

"Well, I don't see why," the goddess said. "Just because _you_ don't appreciate my fashion tips, Piper, doesn't mean the others won't. I could do a quick makeover for Annabeth and Hazel, perhaps silk ball gowns like mine—"

"Mother!"

"Fine," Aphrodite sighed. "To answer your question, Annabeth, I am _both_ Aphrodite and Venus. Unlike many of my fellow Olympians, I changed hardly at all from one age to the other. In fact, I like to think I haven't aged a bit!" Her fingers fluttered around her face appreciatively. "Love is love, after all, whether you're Greek or Roman. This civil war won't affect me much as it will the others."

Wonderful, I thought. My own mother, the most levelheaded Olympian, as reduced to a raving, vicious scatterbrain in a subway station. And of all the gods ho might help us, the only ones not affected by the Greek-Roman schism seemed to be Aphrodite, Nemesis and Dionysus. Love, revenge, wine. Very helpful.

Well, I guess I shouldn't say Dionysus wasn't affected since from what I was told he was barely holding himself together. Still—the fact that Aphrodite and Nemesis weren't affected weren't very reassuring.

Hazel nibbled a sugar cookie. "We're not in a war yet, my lady."

"Oh, dear Hazel." Aphrodite folded her fan. "Such optimism, yet you have heartrending days ahead of you. Of _course_ war is coming. Love and war always go together. They are the peaks of human emotion! Evil and good, beauty and ugliness."

She smiled at me as if she knew what I had been thinking earlier about the Old South.

Hazel set down her sugar cookie. She had a few crumbs on her chin, and I liked the fact that Hazel either didn't know or didn't care.

"What do you mean," Hazel asked. "heartrending days?"

The goddess laughed as if Hazel were a cute puppy. "Well, Annabeth could give you some idea. I once promised to make _her_ love life interesting. And didn't I?"

I almost snapped the handle off my tea cup. For years I had mix feelings about Percy, at thinking he was like a brother, the developing a crush on him. And when my crush grew, it almost seemed Percy was falling for Rachel before she became the oracle. Not to mention, there was the fact after the great prophecy I thought Percy was destined to die. I remember after reading the First Great Prophecy I couldn't look at Percy without thinking that one day he would be dead. It wasn't until after Rachel became the Oracle and Percy and I ended up surviving the Titan war, I finally gotten Percy to myself, only to have him vanish for six months and lose his memory.

"Interesting," I said, "is a mild way of putting it."

"Well, I can't take credit for _all_ your troubles," the goddess said. "But I do love twist and turns in a love story. Oh, all of you are such excellent stories—I mean, girls. You do me proud!"

"Mother," Piper said. "is there a reason you're here?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean besides the tea? I often come here. I love the view, the food, the atmosphere—you can just smell the romance and heartbreak in the air, can't you? Centuries of it."

She pointed to a nearby mansion. "Do you see that rooftop balcony? We had a party there the night the American Civil War began. The shelling of Fort Sumter."

"That's it," I remembered. "The island in the harbor. That's where the first fighting of the Civil War happened. The Confederates shelled the Union troops and took the fort."

"Oh, such a party," Aphrodite said. "A string quartet, and all the men in their elegant new officer uniforms. The women's dresses—you should've seen them! I danced with Ares—or was he Mars? I'm not sure since even at the beginning of the Civil War the Olympians were schizophrenic just as they are now. Ares or Mars only manage to hold it together for that night before he lost it completely. Fortunately for us at the time my husband Hephaestus and his Roman form Vulcan was already at the breaking point of schizophrenic, otherwise we wouldn't have come to the party without being caught in one of his traps. It was romantic with the beautiful burst of light across the harbor, the roar of the cannons giving the men an excuse to put their arms around their frightened sweethearts. It made me so giddy."

My tea was cold. I hadn't eaten anything, but I felt like I wanted to throw up. "You're talking about the beginning of the bloodiest war in U.S. history. Over six hundred thousand people died—more Americans than in World War One and World War Two combined."

"Wait," Hazel jumped in, "Are you saying the Romans and the Greeks were at the break of war before the Civil War started."

"And the refreshments!" Aphrodite continued as if she didn't hear Hazel's question. "Ah they were divine. General Beauregard himself made an appearance—no relations to Piper's sister Silena Beauregard, may I add. But he was such a scoundrel. He was on his second wife, then, but you should have seen the way he looked at Lisbeth Cooper—"

"Mother!" Piper tossed her scone to the pigeons.

"Yes, sorry," the goddess said. "To make the story short, I'm here to help you, girls. I doubt you'll be seeing Hera much. Your little quest has hardly made her welcome in the throne room. And the other gods are rather indisposed, as you know, torn between their Roman and Greek sides. Some more than others." Aphrodite fixed her gaze on me. "I suppose you've told your friends about your falling-out with your mother?"

Heat rose to my cheeks. Hazel and Piper looked at me curiously.

"Falling-out?" Hazel asked.

"An argument," I said. "It's nothing."

"Nothing!" the goddess said. "Well, I don't know about that. Athena was the most Greek of all the goddesses. The patron of Athens, after all. When the Romans took over… oh, they adopted Athena after a fashion. She became Minerva, the goddess of crafts and cleverness. But the Romans had _other_ war gods who were more to their taste, more reliably Roman—like Bellona—"

"Reyna's mom," Piper muttered.

"Yes, indeed," the goddess agreed. "I had a lovely talk with Reyna a while back, right here in the park. And the Romans had Mars, of course. And later, there was Mithras—not even properly Greek or Roman, but the legionnaires were crazy about his cult. I always found him crass and terribly _nouveau dieu_ , personally. At any rate, the Romans quite sidelined poor Athena. They took away most of her military importance. The Greeks never forgave the Romans for that insult. Neither did Athena."

My ears buzzed.

"The Mark of Athena," I said. "It leads to _the_ statue, doesn't it?"

Aphrodite smiled. "You are clever, like your mother. I'm guessing Percy figured it out too, right?"

I didn't replied, but Aphrodite must of took it as a yes.

"Thought so," Aphrodite said, "Understand, though, your siblings, the children of Athena, have been searching for centuries. None has succeed in recovering the statue."

"But it's my destiny, isn't it?" I asked. "As a test as one of the Prophecy of Seven: to find the statue and have it returned?"

Aphrodite shrugged. "It's possible but using it to bring pea. But you must understand, your siblings been keeping alive the Greek feud with the Romans. Every civil war… so much bloodshed and heartbreak… has been orchestrated largely by Athena's children. Unless the statue is returned a certain way—the _right_ way, the feud will never end."

"The right way?" I asked.

Aphrodite waved it off. "Oh don't worry about it. If it is your destiny, I'm sure the Fates will guide you to it. As nasty looking as those old-age goddesses are, their personalities aren't divided between the Greeks or Romans either. After all, fate itself is as universal as love is."

 _Great_ , I thought. _That makes Revenge, Love, and Fate that isn't schizophrenic._

"But…" I tried to clear the fog from my brain. "The Mark of Athena, how does it work? Is it a series of clues, or a trail set by Athena—"

"Hmm." Aphrodite looked politely bored. "I couldn't say. I don't believe Athena created the Mark consciously. If she knew where her statue was, she'd simply tell you where to find it. No… I'd guessed the Mark is more like a spiritual trail of bread crumbs. It's a connection between the statue and the children of the goddess. The statue _wants_ to be found, you see, but it can only be freed by the worthiest."

"Hold on," Piper said. "What _statue_ are we talking about? How is it Percy was able to figure it out?"

The goddess laughed. "Oh, I'm sure Annabeth can fill you in. At any rate, the clue you need is close by: a map of sorts, left by the children of Athena in 1861—a remembrance that will start you on your path, once you reach Rome. Annabeth, keep this in mind that if this is your test as one of the Prophecy of Seven, I would say by proving yourself as one of the seven as the group's battle strategist and consultant, you would prove yourself worthy to find the statue. However, there you will face your worst fear—the fear of every child of Athena. And hope that the journey the statue must take is for peace not war."

I was glad for the tablecloth, because under the table, my legs were trembling. "This man," I said, "where is it?"

"Guys!" Hazel pointed to the sky.

Circling above the palmetto trees were two large eagles. Higher up, descending rapidly, was a flying chariot pulled by pegasi. Apparently Leo's diversion with Buford the end table hadn't worked as long as we hoped.

Aphrodite spread butter on a muffin as if she had all the time in the world. "Oh, the map is at Fort Sumter, of course." She pointed her butter knife toward the island across the harbor. "It looks like the Romans have arrived to cut you off. I'd get back to your ship in a hurry if I were you. Would you care for some tea cakes to go?"

"No thanks, mother," Piper replied for the rest of us.

Aphrodite shrugged. "Very well. Oh, and Piper dear. I wouldn't worry about your father needing protection from Gaea. I think the Earth Goddess has given up on trying to get to you through him for now. And even if she does I'll be keeping an eye on him to make sure Gaea doesn't try anything that will cause him to relapse again."

Piper looked relief when she heard this as she nodded. "We better go!"

I didn't argue, nor question what Aphrodite meant.


	19. Annabeth's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part VII**

We didn't make it to the ship.

Halfway across the dock, three giant eagles descended in front of us. Each deposited a Roman commando in purple and denim with glittering gold armor, sword, and shield. The eagles flew away, and the Roman in the middle, who I recognized as Octavian as he was the scrawnier than the others, raised his visor.

"Surrender to Rome!" Octavian shrieked.

Hazel drew her cavalry sword and grumbled, "Fat chance, Octavian."

I cursed under my breath. By myself, the skinny augur wouldn't be a problem, but the two other guys looked like seasoned warriors—a lot bigger and stronger than I wanted to deal with, especially since Piper and I were only armed with daggers.

Piper raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Octavian, what happened at camp was a set up. We can explain."

"Can't hear you!" Octavian yelled. "Wax in our ears—standard procedure when battling sirens. Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands."

"Let me skewer him," Hazel muttered. "Please."

The ship was only fifty feet away, but I saw no sign of Coach Hedge on deck. He was probably below, watching his stupid martial arts programs. Jason's group wouldn't be back until sunset, and Percy was most likely underwater, unaware of the invasion. Too make matters worse, the eagles were circling overhead as if warning the Romans we were here.

I need to call for help. At least give Percy some kind of signal we were in trouble. Something he know I wouldn't throw away.

 _My knife,_ I thought.

"Well?" Octavian demanded. His two friends brandished their swords.

Very slowly, using only two fingers, I drew my knife that Luke gave me years ago—one of the last legacies of Halcyon Green—and instead of dropping it, I tossed it as far as I could into the water.

Octavian make a squeaking sound. "What was that for? I didn't say _toss_ it! That could've been evidence. Or spoils of war!"

I tried for a dumb-blond smile, like: _Oh, silly me_. As silently I prayed, _Please, still let him be down there. Let him see the knife._

Thank gods Octavian didn't know me or read deeper into my expression, as he huffed in exasperation.

"You other two…" He pointed his blade at Hazel and Piper. "Put your weapons on the dock. No funny bus—"

All around the Romans, Chareston Harbor erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on a show. When the wall of seawater subsided, the three Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor. Percy stood on the dock, holding my dagger.

"You called for help?" Percy asked.

Too most that might of sound like a stupid question but I knew better since Percy knows I wouldn't throw away my dagger for him to find unless I desperately needed his help.

I threw my arms around him. "I love you!"

"Guys," Hazel interrupted. She had a little smile on her face. "We need to hurry."

Down in the water, Octavian yelled, "Get me out of here! I'll kill you!"

"As tempting as that sounds, I don't think so!" Percy yelled.

"What?" Octavian shouted. He was holding on one of his guards, who was having trouble keeping them both afloat. "I can't hear you! Candle wax in my ears! Standard Siren's procedure!"

"Seriously?" Percy asked turning to Hazel. "That's the oldest trick in the Odyssey. Don't the Romans have something more modern?"

Hazel shrugged. "If we did, we don't use it."

"What?" Octavian yelled.

"We can't let them drown, can we?" Hazel asked.

"They won't," Percy promised. "I've got the water circulating around their feet, and paid a few Nereids to keep them there until we're out of the bay."

"Paid?" Piper asked.

Percy took out a sand dollar I guess he brought in case needed too pay some sea spirit. "For water spirits Sand dollars are like the currency of the sea. Neireds will do almost anything for a few Sand dollars except polluting their own water. So as long as Octavian doesn't try anything that will pollute the bay, we can get out of here."

"Handy," Piper grinned.

"Good thing I brought them then, huh?" I asked.

Percy nodded.

We climbed aboard the _Argo II,_ and I ran to the helm. "Piper, get below. Use the sink in the galley for an Iris-message. Warn Jason to get back here!"

Piper nodded and raced off.

"Hazel, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!"

"Right!"

"And Percy— your powers over boats and ships should still work on the _Argo II_ , especially while we're at sea. So I need your help to get this ship to Fort Sumter."

"Sounds good!" Percy agreed and ran to the mast.

I took the helm. My hands flew across the controls. I'd just have to hope I knew enough to operate them.

I can tell Percy was working his powers over the ship, as ropes flew on their own, releasing the dock ties, weighing the anchor. The sails unfurled and caught the wind.

Meanwhile I fired the engine. The oars extended with a sound like machine-gun fire, and the _Argo II_ turned from the deck, heading for the island in the distance.

The three eagles still circled overhead, but they made no attempt to land on the ship, probably because Festus the figurehead blew fire whenever they got close. More eagles were flying in formation toward Fort Sumter—at least a dozen. If each of them carried a Roman demigod… that was a lot of enemies.

Coach Hedge came pounding up the stairs with Hazel at his hooves.

"Where are they?" he demanded. "Who do I kill?"

"No killing!" I ordered. "Just defend the ship!"

"But they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!"

Piper emerged from below. "Got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he's already on his way. He should be—oh! There!"

Soaring over the city, heading in our direction, was a giant bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.

"Frank!" Hazel said.

Leo was holding on to the eagle's feet, and even from here on the ship, I could hear him screaming.

Behind them flew Jason, riding the wind.

Percy whistled. "He really could ride the wind. Not even Thalia could do that."

"They're in trouble!" Piper responded.

Sure enough, the Roman flying chariot had descended from the cloud and was diving straight toward them. Jason and Frank veered out of the way, pulling up to avoid getting trampled by the pegasi. The charioteers fired their bows. Arrows whistled under Leo's feet, which led to more screaming. Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot the _Argo II_ and fly toward Fort Sumter.

"I'll get 'em!" yelled Coach Hedge.

"NO!" Percy Piper Hazel and I yelled knowing the possibility.

Hedge must of not been in a listening mood, because he spun the port ballista and fired. A flaming spear rocketed toward the chariot.

It exploded over the heads of the pegasi and threw them into a panic. Unfortunately, it also singed Frank's wing and sent him spiraling out of control. Leo slipped from his grasp. The chariot shot toward Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason.

I watched in horror as Jason—obviously dazed and in pain—lunged for Leo, caught him, then struggled to gain altitude. He only manage to slow their fall. They disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. Frank tumbled after them. Then the chariot dropped somewhere inside and with a bone-shattering _CRACK!_ One broke wheel spun into the air.

"Coach!" Piper screamed.

"What?" Hedge demanded. "That was just a warning shot!"

I gunned the engines. The hull shuddered as they picked up speed. The docks of the island were only a hundred yards away now, but a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, each carrying a Roman demigod in its claws. At this rate we were outnumbered three to one.

"Percy," I called. "we're going to come in hard. I need you to control the water so we don't smash into the docks. Once we're there, you're going to have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you help him guard the ship. I'll go in and check on Jason Leo and Frank while searching for the map."

"The fort is crawling with Romans," Percy warned. "You have to fight your way through, find our friends—assuming they're okay—find this map, and get everybody back alive. All on your own?"

"Just an average day. Besides, according to Aphrodite that map is part of my test and you know how I am with test," I told him.

Percy sighed and unlatched his shield watch and handed it to me. "You're going to need this more than me."

I knew Percy could use the sea to form a hurricane shield but I still reluctantly took the shield-watch and kissed him. "I'll be back with our friends. Whatever you do, don't let them take this ship."


	20. Annabeth's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part VIII**

If the Fates has plans for peace between Greeks and Romans, they sure have a funny way of showing it. Like having the new civil war had to start at the same place the first American civil war took place: Fort Sumter.

Leo somehow escaped his fall unharmed. I saw him ducking from portico to portico, blasting fire at the giant eagles swooping down on him. Roman demigods tried to chase him, tripping over piles of cannonballs and dodging tourists, who screamed and ran in circles.

Tour guides kept yelling, "It's just a reenactment!" Though they didn't sound sure. The Mist could only do so much to change what mortals saw.

In the middle of the courtyard, a full-grown elephant—I'm hoping is Frank—rampaged around the flagpoles, scattering Roman warriors. Jason stood about fifty yards away, sword-fighting with a stocky centurion whose lips were stained with cherry red, like blood. My guess is that it is either make up or kool-aid.

As I watched, Jason yelled, "Sorry about this, Dakota!"

He vaulted straight over the centurion's head like an acrobat and slammed the hilt of his _gladius_ into the back of the Roman's head. Dakota crumpled.

"Jason!" I called.

He scanned the battle field until he saw me.

I pointed to where the _Argo II_ was docked. "Get the other aboard! Retreat!"

"What about you?" he called.

I press the button on the watch and Percy's shield spiraled out. "I'll be fine! Don't wait for me!"

I bolted off before he could protest.

Even with Percy's shield, I had a hard time maneuvering through the mobs of tourists. Why did so many people want to see Fort Sumter on a sweltering summer day? But I quickly realize the crowds had saved our lives. Without the chaos of all these panicked mortals, the Romans would have already surrounded our outnumbered crew.

I dodged into a small room that must have been part of the garrison. I tried to steady my breathing. I imagined what it would have been like to be a Union soldier on this island in 1861. Surrounded by enemies. Dwindling food and supplies, no reinforcements coming.

Some of the Union defenders had been my own siblings—children of Athena. They'd hidden an important map here—something they didn't want falling into enemies' hands. If I had been one of those demigods, where would I have put it.

Suddenly the walls glistened. The air became warm. I wondered if I was hallucinating. I was about to run for the exit when the door slammed shut. The mortar between the stone blistered. The bubbles popped, and thousands of tiny spiders swelled forth.

I couldn't move. My heart seemed to have stopped. The spiders blanketed the walls, crawling over one another, spreading across the floor and gradually surrounding me. It was impossible. This couldn't be real.

Terror plunged into my memories. I was seven years old again, alone in my bedroom in Richmond, Virginia. The spiders came at night. They crawled in waves from my closet and waited in the shadows. I yelled for my father, but my father was away from work.

He _always_ seemed to be away for work. Only times he wasn't was when he was with my step mom or when we went to Boston Massachusetts to visit my uncle Randolf and aunt Natalie there. Even then he would leave me with my cousin Magnus—who along with his mom, Aunt Natalie, had to be the only mortal relatives I have that I liked—while my dad fight with his siblings.

I wished I was still in Boston. At least Aunt Natalie would check on me when spiders creeps up on me. But after the last fight my dad had with his siblings, he made it clear we're not returning anytime soon. And I trusted my cousin enough that I told him once that I planned to run away from home while we were playing with Uncle Randolf's weird domino set. It was hard not too.

Instead, my stepmother came.

 _I don't mind being the bad cop,_ she had once told my father, when she didn't think I could hear.

 _It's only your imagination,_ my stepmother said about the spiders. _You're scaring your baby brothers._

 _They're not my brothers,_ I argued, which made my stepmother expression hardened. Her eyes were almost as scary as the spiders.

 _Go to sleep now,_ my stepmother insisted. _No more screaming._

The spiders came back as soon as my stepmother had left the room. I tried to hide under the covers, but it was no good. Eventually I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. I woke up in the morning, freckled with bites, cobwebs covering my eyes, mouth and nose.

The bites faded before I even got dressed, so I had nothing to show my stepmother except cobwebs, which my stepmother thought was some sort of clever trick.

 _No more talk of spiders,_ my stepmother said firmly. _You're a big girl now._

The second night, the spiders came again. My stepmother continued to be the bad cop. I wasn't allowed to call my father and bother him with this nonsense. No, he would _not_ come home early.

The third night, I ran away from home and that's when the monsters started to attack.

At first I thought of going to Boston and see if my aunt would take me in, but instead Percy found me at the docks of Richmond and he introduced me to Luke and Thalia and I form my own family who came to my aid anytime the spiders came.

It wasn't until I made it to Camp Half-Blood, I learned that all children of Athena feared spiders. Long ago, Athena had taught the mortal weaver Arachne a hard lesson—cursing her for her pride by turning her into the first spider. Ever since, spiders had hated the children of Athena.

But that didn't make my fears easier to deal with. If it wasn't for Luke and Percy trying to calm me down, I would of killed the Stoll brothers when they poured spiders into Cabin Six. I even panicked when Percy and I were assaulted by mechanical spiders at a Water Park in Denver. And the past few weeks, I had dreamed of spiders almost every night—crawling over me, suffocating me, wrapping me in webs.

Now, standing in the barracks at Fort Sumter, I was surrounded. My nightmares had come true.

A sleepy voice murmured in my head: _Soon, my dear. You will meet the weaver soon._

"Gaea?" I murmured. I feared the answer, but I asked: "Who—who is the weaver?"

The spiders became excited, swarming over the walls, swirling around my feet like a glistening black whirlpool. Only the hope that it might be an illusion kept me from passing out from fear.

 _I hope you survive, child_ , the woman's voice said. _I would prefer you as my sacrifice. But we must let the weaver take her revenge…_

Gaea's voice faded. On the far wall, in the center of the spider swarm, a red symbol blazed to life: the figure of an owl like the one on the silver drachma, staring straight at me. Then, just as in my nightmares, the Mark of Athena burned across the walls, incinerating the spiders until the room was empty except for the smell of sickly sweet ashes.

 _Go,_ said a new voice—my mother. _Avenge me. Follow the Mark._

The blazing symbol of the owl faded. The garrison door burst open. I stood stunned in the middle of the room, unsure whether I'd seen something real, or just vision.

An explosion shook the building. I remembered that my friends were in danger. I'd stayed here much too long.

I forced myself to move. Still trembling, I stumbled outside. The ocean air helped clear my mind. I gazed across the courtyard—past the panicked tourists and the fighting demigods—to the edge of the battlements, where a large mortar pointed out to sea.

Is it my imagination, or is that old artillery piece glowing red?

I don't know, but I decided to dash toward it. An eagle swooped at me, but I ducked and blocked with Percy's shield as I kept running. Nothing could possibly scare me as much as those spiders.

Roman demigods had formed ranks and were advancing toward the _Argo II_ , but a miniature storm had gathered over their heads. Though the day was clear all around them, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed above the Romans. Rain and wind pushed them back.

I didn't stop to think about it.

I reached the mortar and put my hand on the muzzle. On the plug that blocked the opening, the Mark of Athena began to glow—the red outline of an owl.

"In the mortar," I said. "Of course."

I had the shield returned to its wristwatch form. Then I pried at the plug with my fingers. No luck. I drew my dagger. As soon as the Celestial bronze touched the plug, the plug shrank and loosened. I pulled it off and struck my hand inside the cannon.

My fingers touched something cold, smooth, and metal. I pulled out a small disk of bronze the size of a tea saucer, etched with delicate letters and illustrations. I decided to examine it later. I thrust it in my pack and turned.

"Rushing off?" Reyna asked.

The praetor stood ten feet away, in full battle armor, holding a golden javelin. Her two metal greyhounds growled at her side.

I scanned the area. We were more or less alone. Most of the combat had moved toward the docks. Hopefully my friends had all made it on board, but they'd have to set sail immediately or risk being overrun. I had to hurry.

"Reyna," I said, "what happened at Camp Jupiter was Gaea's fault. Eidolons, possessing spirits, they possessed Leo."

Reyna studied me carefully. "Even if I believe you," Reyna said carefully. "I don't have much of a choice but to give you a trial on the matter. Octavian smells blood. He whipped the legion into a frenzy, and I can't stop it. A trial is the only way to stop this. Even with that, Octavian will pull it against you."

"There's another way!" I said, "The prophecy Ella mention—it's about my test as one of the Prophecy of Seven. I got word from Aphrodite herself that it could stop the feud all together if we return it the correct way."

"Then what's the correct way?" Reyna asked.

"I—I don't know," I replied. "Aphrodite only said that if the Fates have it, it would happen."

Reyna frowned. "You do realize if you escape today, we won't follow. Not even a madman would cross the sea to the ancient lands. If Octavian can't have vengeance on your ship, he'll turn his attention to Camp Half-Blood. The legion will march on your territory. We will raze it and salt the earth."

 _Kill the Romans,_ I heard my mother urging. _They can never be your allies._

I wanted to sob. Camp Half-Blood was the only real home I'd ever known, and in a bid for friendship, I had told Reyna exactly where to find it. I couldn't leave it at the mercy of the Romans and travel halfway around the world.

But our quest, and everything I'd suffered to get Percy back… if I didn't go to the ancient lands, pass this stupid test that my mother thinks will destroy the Romans in hopes to end the feud, stopping Gaea and the giants—it would all be for nothing.

I remember what Percy's prediction of being one of the seven greatest demigods ever known. If I really am one of the seven along with my boyfriend, then this must be part of my test.

 _If this is your test as one of the Prophecy of Seven, I would say by proving yourself as one of the seven as the group's battle strategist and consultant, you would prove yourself worthy to find the statue,_ I remembered Aphrodite telling me.

"I'm going," I said. "I'm following the Mark of Athena to Rome and find the one thing that can either bring us peace or destroy everything we work for, and prove myself as the Battle Strategist and Consultant of the Prophecy of Seven."

The praetor shook her head. "You have no idea what awaits you."

"Yes, I do," I said. "The quest has to succeed. You can try to stop me, in which case we'll have to fight to the death. Or you can let me go, and I'll try to save both our camps. If you must march on Camp Half-Blood, at least try to delay. Slow Octavian down."

Reyna's eyes narrowed. "One daughter of a war goddess to another, I respect your boldness. But if you leave now, you doom your camp to destruction."

"Don't underestimate Camp Half-Blood," I warned. "You never seen our camp in battle."

"And you've never seen the legion at war," Reyna countered.

On the deck of the _Argo II_ , Percy and Jason stood together, their swords crossed as the storm blew the Romans away. I got a tingle down my spine as I realize the boys were working as one, summoning the sky and the sea to do their bidding. Water and wind churned together. Waves heaved against the ramparts and lightning flashed. Giant eagles were knocked out of the sky. Wreckage of the flying chariot burned in the water, and Coach Hedge swung a mounted crossbow, taking potshot at the Roman birds as they flew overhead.

"You see?" Reyna said bitterly. "The spear is thrown. Our people are at war."

"And I can find what can bring peace," I said, "We just have to hope that the Fates is for peace."

"How do you know the fates aren't affected by this war?" Reyna asked.

"Because Fate itself is Universal," I said, "No matter if we're Greek or Roman, the fate is always fate. We can't change the fates no more than we can fight against it. And the fates had decided that it would be me to find the one thing that could end this war."

Reyna's expression looked the same as it had at Camp Jupiter when she realize Jason had found another girl. The praetor was too alone, too bitter and betrayed to believe anything could go right for her ever again. I realized that it was possible that while we were in the run she started to believe Octavian when he said we were the fault.

Then, Reyna flicked her hand. The metal dogs who had inched close to me backed away. "Annabeth Chase," she said, "when we meet again, I hope we're not enemies on the field of battle."

The praetor turned and walked across the ramparts, her greyhounds behind her.

I feared it might be some sort of trick, but I had no time to wonder. I ran for the ship.

The winds that battered the Romans didn't seem to affect her.

I didn't see Octavian among the Romans, so I guess they were still captive in the bay. But the Romans did notice me.

A spear flew past my ear. The _Argo II_ was already pulling away from the dock. Since Percy was teaming up with Jason to blow away the Romans, Piper was at the gangplank, her hand outstretched.

I leaped and grabbed Piper's hand. The gangplank fell into the sea, and Piper and I stumbled onto the deck.

"Go!" I screamed. "Go, go, go!"

The engines rumbled beneath me. The oars churned. Jason changed the course of the wind, and Percy called up a massive wave, which lifted the ship higher than the fort's walls and pushed it out to sea. By time the _Argo II_ reached top speed, Fort Sumter was only a blot in the distance, and we were racing across the waves toward ancient lands.

* * *

 **A/N:** This is my last update for the night. Tomorrow I might be watching over my 2 nephews so I don't know if I'll be able to work on my fanfiction if I do.


	21. Leo's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part V**

After raiding a museum full of Confederate ghost, I didn't think my day could get any worse. I was wrong.

We didn't find anything in the Civil War sub or elsewhere in the museum; just a few elderly tourist, a dozing security guard, and—when we tried to inspect the artifacts—a whole battalion of glowing zombie dudes in gray uniforms.

Frank was able to handle a few ghost, but when it came to those undead confederates, forget it. Jason thinks it might be because those Confederates might have been Roman demigods that out ranked Frank. Either way, by time Piper sent her Iris-message warning us about the Roman attack, we were already halfway back to the ship, having been chased through Charleston by a pack of angry dead Confederates.

Then—oh, boy! I got to hitch a ride with Frank the Friendly Eagle so we could fight a bunch of Romans. The Romans must of figured I attacked their camp on my own free will because they seemed especially anxious to kill me.

Too make matters worse, Coach Hedge shot them out of the sky; Frank dropped me (that was no accident); and we crash-landed in Fort Sumter.

Now, as the _Argo II_ raced the waves, I had to use all my skills just to keep the ship in one piece. Percy and Jason were a little _too_ good at cooking up a massive storms.

At one point, Annabeth stood next to him, yelling against the roar of Jason's wind: "Percy says he talked to Chiron in the Iris Message a few Nereids in Charleston Harbor!"

"Good for him!" I yelled back.

"Both said we should seek help from Chiron's brothers."

"What does that mean? The Party Ponies?" I had never met Chiron's crazy centaur relatives, but he'd heard rumors of Nerf sword-fights root bear—chugging contest, and Super Soakers filled with pressurized whipped cream.

"Percy thinks more of the line of Ichthycentaurs,"

"Icky-what?"

"Fish Centaurs," Annabeth yelled. "Percy read about them in Halcyon's book. They're trainers of some of Poseidon's best warriors along with Percy's immortal half-brother Triton."

"So basically fish centaurs of Chiron," I yelled.

"Basically," Annabeth said. "I've got the coordinates. Can you input latitude and longitude in this thing?"

"I can input star charts and order you a smoothie, if you want. Of _course_ I can do latitude and longitude!"

Annabeth rattled off the numbers. I somehow managed to punch them in while holding the wheel with one hand. A red dot popped up on the bronze display screen."

"The location is in the middle of the Atlantic, so either it is fish-centaurs or the Party Ponies have a yacht," I responded.

"Just hold the ship together until we get farther from Charleston," Annabeth said. "Jason and Percy will keep up the winds!

"Happy fun time!"

It seemed like forever, but finally the sea calmed and the winds died.

"Valdez," said Coach Hedge, with surprising gentleness. "Let me take the wheel. You've been steering for two hours."

"Two hours?"

"Yeah. Give me the wheel."

"Coach?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"I can't unclench my hands."

It was true. My fingers felt like they had turned to stone. My eyes burned from staring at the horizon. My knees were marshmallows. Coach Hedge managed to pry me from the wheel.

I took one last look at the console, listening to Festus chatter and whir a status report. I felt like I was forgetting something. But my eyes could hardly focus. "Just watch for monsters," I told the coach. "And be careful with the damaged stabilizer. And—"

"I've got it covered," Coach Hedge promised. "Now, go away!"

I nodded wearily. I staggered across the deck toward my friends.

Percy and Jason sat with their backs against the mast, their heads slumped in exhaustion. Annabeth and Piper were trying to get them to drink some water, and I guess Percy had nodded off a few times because Annabeth had to shake him a few times.

Hazel and Frank stood just out of earshot, having an argument that involved lots of arm waving and head shaking. I know I shouldn't be feeling please about them arguing, but part of me did. The other part of me felt bad that I felt pleased.

The argument stopped abruptly when Hazel saw me. Everyone gathered at the mast where Percy manage to stay awake, which I guess wasn't easy because he started to remind me of Clovis from Hypnos Cabin who always nod off no matter what was going on around him.

Meanwhile, Frank had a scowl on his face, which looked like he was trying hard to turn into a bulldog with that baby-like face. "No sign of pursuit," he said.

"Or land," Hazel added. She looked a little green, though I wasn't sure if that was from the rocking boat or from arguing.

I scanned the horizon. Nothing but ocean everywhere I looked. That shouldn't have surprised me. I'd spent six months building a ship that I knew would cross the Atlantic. But until today, us embarking on a journey to the ancient lands didn't seem real. The only time I been outside the United states, was when Jason Piper and I flew on Festus—as a dragon—to Quebec. But now we were in the middle of the open sea, completely on our own, sailing to the Mare Nostrum, where all the scary monsters and nasty giants had come from. The Romans might not follow us, but I don't think we'll get any more help from Camp Half-Blood, either.

I still can't shake this feeling I'm forgetting something. I patted my waist to make sure my tool belt was still there. Unfortunately, that just remind me of Nemesis' fortune cookie, tucked inside one of the pockets and what she said about me being the seventh wheel.

Forget her, I told myself. Concentrate on the stuff you can fix.

I turned to Annabeth. "Did you find the map you wanted?"

She nodded, though she looked pale. I wondered what she'd seen at Fort Sumter that could have shaken her up so badly.

"I'll have to study it," she said, as if that was the end of the subject. "How far are we from those coordinates?"

"At top rowing speed, about an hour," Leo said. "Any idea what we're looking for?"

"An underwater camp," Percy replied. His green eyes were bloodshot and droopy. "At least, that's what I can guess. I never been there."

Frank frowned. "But if it's underwater, will we be able to see it?"

"Not above water, but we probably can use the glass doors in the stables," Percy said. "We also got to be careful. Chiron said that even though Keto is stuck in Atlanta, her children is free to chase after us on command."

"Wonderful," Frank muttered.

Jason tried to stand, which wasn't a good idea. Piper grabbed him to keep him from falling over, and he slid back down the mast.

"Can we get the ship aloft?" he asked. "If we could fly—"

"That'd be great," I said. "Except Festus tells me the port aerial stabilizer got pulverized when the ship raked against the dock at Fort Sumter."

"We were in a hurry," Annabeth argued. "Trying to save you."

"And saving me is a very noble cause," I agreed. "I'm just saying, it'll take some time to fix. Until then, we're not flying anywhere."

"Then I guess it's a good thing my powers are at their peak with sea water," Percy said.

"But we need to go fast." Hazel glanced at the evening sun, which was almost to the horizon. "We need to go fast. We've burned another day, and Nico only has three more left."

"We can do it," I promised. "We can make it to Rome in three days—assuming, you know, nothing unexpected happens."

Frank grunted. He looked like he was still working on that bulldog transformation. "Is there any _good_ news?"

"Actually, yes," I said. "According to Festus, our flying table, Buford, made it back safely while we were in Charleston, so those eagles didn't get him. Unfortunately, he lost the laundry bag with your pants."

"Dang it!" Frank barked, which I figured was probably severe profanity for him.

No doubt Frank would've cursed some more if Percy didn't interrupted by doubling over and groaning and I guess he passed out too because he started snoring.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Jason pressed his hands to his head. "I don't know, but the world is spinning. Everything's yellow. Is it supposed to be yellow?"

Annabeth and Piper exchanged concern looks.

"Summoning that storm really sapped your strength," Piper told the boys.

Annabeth nodded. "And I doubt the extra power boost from the Achilles Curse helped either. I'm amaze I was able to keep him awake at all."

"You need rest," Piper told Jason.

"Frank, can you help us get the guys below decks?" Annabeth asked. "Especially since I don't think we will be able to wake Percy any time soon."

Percy grunted and groan in his sleep as if agreeing to what his girlfriend just said.

I'll admit, when I first heard of the Achilles Curse, I would admit I was jealous of Percy, even after hearing all of the side effects. But if the Achilles curse warn Percy out faster than Jason using his powers, I decided not to go for it.

Frank glanced at me, no doubt reluctant to leave me alone with Hazel.

"It's fine, man," I said. "Just try not to drop them on the way down the stairs."

Once the others were below, Hazel and I faced each other awkwardly. We were alone except for Coach Hedge, who was back on the quarterdeck singing the _Pokémon_ theme song. The coach had changed the words to: _Gotta Kill 'Em All,_ and I really didn't want to know why.

The song didn't seem to help Hazel's nausea.

"Ugh…" She leaned over and hugged her sides. She had nice hair—frizzy and golden brown like curls of cinnamon. Her hair reminded me of a place in Houston that made excellent _churros_. The thought made me hungry.

"Don't lean over," I advised. "Don't close your eyes. It makes the queasiness worse."

"It does? Do you get seasick too?"

"Not seasick. But cars make me nauseous, and…"

I stopped myself from saying, _talking to girls_ , as I quickly realize I should keep that to myself.

"Cars?" Hazel straightened with difficulty. "You can sail a ship or fly a dragon, but cars make you sick?"

"I know, right?" I shrugged. "I'm special that way. Look, keep your eyes on the horizon. That's a fixed point. It'll help."

Hazel took a deep breath and stared into the distance. Her eyes were lustrous gold, like the copper and bronze disc inside Festus' mechanical head. It made me wonder if she really was related to the di Angelo kids.

"Any better?" I asked.

"Maybe a little." She sounded like she was just being polite. She kept her eyes on the horizon, but I got the feeling she was gauging his mood, considering what to say.

"Frank didn't drop you on purpose," she said. "He's not like that. He's just a little clumsy sometimes."

 _"Oops,"_ I said, in my best Frank Zhang voice. _"Dropped Leo into a squad of enemy soldiers. Dang it!"_

Hazel tried to suppress a smile. I figured smiling was better than throwing up.

"Go easy on him," Hazel sad. "You and your fireballs make Frank nervous."

"The guy can turn into an elephant, and _I_ make _him_ nervous?"

Hazel kept her eyes on the horizon. She didn't look quite so queasy, despite the fact that Coach Hedge was still singing his _Pokémon_ song at the helm.

"Leo," she said, "about what happened at the Great Salt Lake…"

Here it comes.

I remembered our meeting with the revenge goddess Nemesis. The fortune cookie in my tool belt started to feel heavier. Last night, as we flew from Atlanta, I had lain in my cabin and thought about how I almost screw things up by calling Nico a spy. I decided if I could, I would do the right thing.

Still I thought about the price Nemesis said as I took out the fortune cookie from my tool belt and turned it in my fingers. What kind of price was Nemesis talking about?

I don't know, but now seem the right time to offer the one thing that might

"I'd be willing," I told Hazel. "I could use the fortune cookie to find your brother."

Hazel looked stunned. "What? No! I mean… I'd never ask you to do that. Not after what Nemesis said about the horrible cost. We barely _know_ each other!"

The _barely know each other_ comment kind of hurt, but I knew it was true.

"So… that's not what you wanted to talk about?" I asked. "Uh, did you want to talk about the holding-hands-on-the-boulder moment? Or if you want to learn more about your sister, I could recommend Piper and Annabeth. Annabeth seem to know Nico and Bianca and when we met Bianca, she seemed to treat Piper better than she treated Jason and me. And that's saying something considering when the hungers visited camp Piper's other siblings didn't get along real well with them."

"No—" Hazel paused. "Well, I'll ask Piper or Annabeth when I get the chance, but that's not what I was talking about. I was just thinking about the way you tricked Narcissus and those nymphs…"

"Oh, right." I glanced self-consciously at my arm. The HOT STUFF tattoo hadn't completely faded. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"You were amazing," Hazel said. "I've been mulling it over, how much you reminded me of—"

"Sammy," I guessed. "I wish you'd tell me who he is."

"Who he _was_ ," Hazel corrected. The evening air was warm, but she shivered. "I've been thinking… I might be able to show you."

"You mean like a photo?"

"More like a memory—a flashback," Hazel said. "When I—you know—I use to have these blackouts that makes me revisit my memories and past. It wasn't until sometime during our quest to Alaska that my blackouts ended, but according to Ella—well, I wasn't sure at the time what she meant, but now I think she said I can control my blackouts at will and even can share them."

"Okay…" I said. "Have you shared a blackout before?"

"Once with Frank," Hazel said.

I started to feel jittery, like I'd been injected with coffee. This blackout or flashback or whatever it is—it was something Frank shared with Hazel and… well, I wasn't sure if I should do this or not.

"When you say blackout—will it hurt?" I asked. "Is it safe?"

Hazel held out her hand. "I wouldn't ask you to do this, but I'm sure it's important. It _can't_ be a coincidence we met. If this works, maybe we can finally understand how we're connected."

I glanced back at the helm. I still had a nagging suspicion I'd forgotten something, but Coach Hedge seemed to be doing fine. The sky was clear. There was no sign of trouble.

Besides, a flashback sounded like a pretty brief thing. It couldn't hurt to let the coach be in charge for a few more minutes, could it? Besides, I might get the answers of the questions that been in my mind since I first met Hazel and heard Sammy's name.

"Okay," I relented. "Show me."

I took Hazel's hand, and within moments the world dissolved.


	22. Leo's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part VI**

We stood in the courtyard of an old compound, like a monastery. Red brick walls were overgrown with vines. Big magnolia trees had cracked the pavement. The sun beat down, and the humidity was about two hundred percent, even stickier than in Houston. Somewhere nearby, I could smell fish frying. Overhead, the cloud cover was low and gray, striped like a tiger's pelt.

The courtyard was about the size of a basketball court. An old deflated football sat in one corner, at the base of a Virgin Mary statue.

Along the sides of the buildings, windows were open. I could see flicker of movement inside, but it was eerily quiet. I saw no sign of air conditioning, which meant it must have been a thousand degrees in there.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"My old school," Hazel said next to him. "St. Agnes Academy for Colored Children and Indians."

"What kind of name—?"

I turned toward Hazel and yelped. She was a ghost—just a vaporous silhouette in the steamy air. I looked down and realize my own body had turned to mist too.

Everything around me seemed solid and real, but I was a spirit. After being possessed by an eidolon three days ago, I didn't appreciate the feeling.

Before I could ask questions, a bell rang inside: not a modern electronic sound, but the old fashioned buzz of a hammer on metal.

"This is a memory," Hazel said, "so no one will see us. Look, here we come."

 _"We?"_

From every door, dozens of children spilled into the courtyard, yelling and jostling each other. They were mostly African Americans, with a sprinkling of Hispanic-looking kids, as young as kindergartners and as old as high schoolers. I could tell this was in the past, because all the girls wore dresses and buckled leather shoes. The boys wore white collared shirts and pants held up by suspenders. Many wore caps like horse jockeys wear. Some kids carried lunches. Many didn't. Their clothes were clean, but worn and faded. Some had holes in the knees of their trousers, or shoes with heels coming apart.

A few girls began playing jump rope with an old piece of clothesline. The older guys tossed a ratty basketball back and forth. Kids with lunches sat together and ate and chatted.

As Hazel told me, no one paid attention to our ghostly forms.

Then Hazel from the _past_ stepped into the courtyard. I recognized her with no problem, though she looked about two years younger than now. Her hair was pinned back in a bun. Her gold eyes darted around the courtyard uneasily. She wore a dark dress, unlike the other girls in their white cotton or pastel flowery prints, so she stood out like a mourner at a wedding.

She gripped a canvas lunch bag and moved along the wall, as if trying hard not to be noticed.

It didn't work. A boy called out, "Witch girl!" He lumbered toward her, backing her into a corner. The boy could have been fourteen or nineteen. It was hard to tell because he was so big and tall, easily the largest guy on the playground. I figured he'd been held back a few times. He wore dirty shirt and color of grease rags, threadbare wool trousers (in this heat, they couldn't have been comfortable), and no shoes at all. If I had to guess, the teachers might have been too terrified to insist that this kid wear shoes, or maybe he just didn't have any.

"That's Rufus," said Ghost Hazel with distaste.

"Seriously? No way his name is Rufus," I said.

"Come on," said Ghost Hazel. She drifted toward the confrontation. I followed. We weren't holding hands in ghost form, but I'm guessing in the real world we still were otherwise this link would have been destroyed. Either way, I found myself glad and disappointed. As for drifting, I don't know if I was doing that, but I ridden a Segway once and it was kind of like that. I simply leaned in the direction I wanted to go and glided along.

The big kid Rufus had flat features, as if he spent most of his time face-planting on the sidewalk. His hair as cut just as flat on top, so miniature airplanes could've used it for a landing strip.

Rufus thrust out his hand. "Lunch."

Hazel from the past didn't protest. She handed over her canvas bag like this was an everyday occurrence.

A few other girls drifted over to watch the fun. One giggled at Rufus. "You don't want to eat that," she warned. "It's probably poison."

"You're right," Rufus said. "Did your witch mom make this, Levesque?"

"She's not a witch," Hazel muttered.

Rufus dropped the bag and stepped on it, smashing the contents under his bare heel. "You can have it back. I want a diamond, though. I hear your momma can make those out of thin air. Gimme a diamond."

"I don't have diamonds," Hazel said. "Go away."

Rufus balled his fists. I had been in enough rough schools and foster homes to sense when things were about to turn ugly. I wanted to step in and help Hazel, but he was a ghost. Besides, all this had happened decades ago.

Then another kid stumbled outside into the sunlight and I almost forgot to breath. The boy looked exactly like me.

"You see?" asked Ghost Hazel.

Fake Leo was the same height as me—meaning he was short and scrawny and latino skin color. He had the same nervous energy—tapping his fingers against his trousers, brushing at his white cotton shirt, adjusting the jockey cap on his curly brown hair. (Really, short people should not wear jockey caps unless they were jockeys.) Fake Leo had the same devilish smile that greet me whenever I looked in the mirror—an expression that made teachers immediately shout, "Don't even think about it!" and plop me in the front.

Apparently, Fake Leo had just been scolded by a teacher. He was holding a dunce cap—an honest-to-goodness cardboard cone that said DUNCE. I thought those were something you only saw in cartoons.

I could understand why Fake Leo wasn't wearing it. Bad enough to look like a jockey. With that cone on his head, he would've looked like a latino gnome.

Some kids backed up when Fake Leo burst onto the scene. Others nudge each other and ran toward him like they were expecting a show.

Meanwhile, Flathead Rufus was still trying to punk Hazel out of a diamond, oblivious to Fake Leo's arrival.

"Come on, girl." Rufus loomed over Hazel with his fists clenched. "Give it!"

Hazel pressed herself against the wall. Suddenly the ground at her feet went _snap_ , like a twig breaking. A perfect diamond the size of a pistachio glittered between her feet.

"Ha!" Rufus barked when he saw it. He started to lean down, but Hazel yelled, "No, please!" as if she was genuinely concern for the big goon.

That's when Fake Leo strolled over, and I thought he was going to pull out some kind of Coach Hedge fighting style to save the day.

Instead, Fake Leo put the top of the dunce cap to his mouth like a megaphone and yelled, "CUT!"

He said it with such authority all the other kids momentarily froze. Even Rufus straightened and backed away in confusion.

One of the little boys snickered under his breath: "Hammy Sammy."

 _Sammy_ … I shivered as the name was starting to sound like a bad sign to me. _Who the heck_ was _this kid?_

Sammy/Fake Leo stormed up to Rufus with his dunce cap in his hand, looking angry. "No, no, no! He announced, waving his free hand wildly at the other kids, who were gathering to watch the entertainment.

Sammy turned to Hazel. "Miss Lamarr, your line is…" Sammy looked around in exasperation. "Script! What is Hedy Lamarr's line?"

 _"No, please, you villain!"_ one of the boys called out.

"Thank you!" Sammy said. "Miss Lamarr, you're supposed to say, _No, please, you villain!_ And you, Clark Gable—"

The whole courtyard burst into laughter. I vaguely knew Clark Gable was an old-timey actor, but I didn't know much else. Apparently, though, the idea that Flathead Rufus could be Clark Gable was hilarious to the kids."

"Mr. Gable—"

"No!" one of the girls cried. "Make him Gary Cooper."

More laughter. Rufus looked as if he were about to blow a valve. He balled his fists like he wanted to hit somebody, but he couldn't attack the entire school. He clearly hated being laughed at, but his slow little mind couldn't quite work out what Sammy was up to.

I nodded in appreciation. Sammy _was_ like me. I had done the same kind of stuff to bullies for years.

"Right!" Sammy yelled imperiously. "Mr. Cooper, you say, _Oh, but the diamond is mine, my treacherous darling!_ And then you scoop up the diamond like this!"

"Sammy, no!" Hazel protested, but Sammy snatched up the stone and slipped it into his pocket in one smooth move.

He wheeled on Rufus. "I want emotion! I want the ladies in the audience swooning! Ladies, did Mr. Cooper make you swoon just now?"

"No," several of them called back.

"There, you see?" Sammy cried. "Now from the top!" he yelled into his dunce cap. "Action!"

Rufus was just starting to get over his confusion. He stepped toward Sammy and said, "Valdez, I'm gonna—"

The bell rang. Kids swarmed the doors. Sammy pulled Hazel out of the way as the little ones—who acted like they were on Sammy's payroll—herded Rufus along with them so he was carried inside on a tide of kindergartners.

Meanwhile I was too much in shock. I mean, that bully just called Sammy 'Valdez'. That's my last name. Just who is Sammy, and what's my connection to him?

I continue watching as Sammy and Hazel were alone except for Ghost Hazel and me.

Sammy scooped up Hazel's smashed lunch, made a show of dusting off the canvas bag, and present it to her with a deep bow, as if it were her crown. "Miss Lamarr."

Hazel from the past took her ruined lunch. She looked like she was about to cry, but I couldn't tell if that was from relief or misery or admiration. "Sammy… Rufus is going to kill you."

"Ah, he knows better than to tangle with me." Sammy plopped the dunce cap on top of his jockey cap. He stood up straight and stuck out his scrawny chest. The dunce cap fell off.

Hazel laughed. "You are ridiculous."

"Why, thank you, Miss Lamarr."

"You're welcome, _my treacherous darling_."

Sammy's smile wavered. The air became uncomfortably charged. Hazel stared at the ground. "You shouldn't have touched that diamond. It's dangerous."

"Ah, come on," Sammy said. "Not for me!"

Hazel studied him warily, like she wanted to believe it. "Bad things might happen. You shouldn't—"

"I won't sell it," Sammy said. "I promise! I'll just keep it as a token of your flavor."

Hazel forced a smile. "I think you mean _token of my favor_."

"There you are! We should get going. It's time for our next scene: _Hedy Lamarr nearly dies of boredom in English class_."

Sammy held out his elbow like a gentleman, but Hazel pushed him away playfully. "Thanks for being there, Sammy."

"Miss Lamarr, I will _always_ be there for you!" he said brightly. The two of them raced back into the schoolhouse.

I felt more like a ghost than ever. Maybe I had actually been an eidolon my whole life, because this kid should have been the real me. He was smarter, cooler, and funnier. He flirted so well with Hazel that he obviously stolen her heart.

No wonder Hazel had looked at me so strangely when we first met. No wonder whenever she said _Sammy_ it was with so much feeling. But I wasn't Sammy, any more than Flathead Rufus was Clark Gable.

So what's my connection to this guy? Why do I feel like I should know this guy along with Hazel?

Just as I question that, the schoolyard dissolved into a different scene.

Hazel and I were still ghost, but now we stood in front of a rundown house next to a drainage ditch overgrown with weeds. A clump of banana trees dropped in the yard. Perched on the steps, an old-fashioned radio played _conjunto_ music, and on the shaded porch, sitting in a rocking chair, a skinny old man gazed at the horizon.

"Where _are_ we?" Hazel asked. She was still only vapor, but her voice was full of alarm. "This isn't from my life!"

I felt as if my ghostly self was thickening, becoming more real. This place seemed familiar.

Then it dawn to me.

"It's Houston," I realized. "I know this view. That drainage ditch… This is my mom's old neighborhood, where she grew up. Hobby Airport is over that way."

"This is _your_ life?" Hazel said. "I don't understand!"

"I don't either, but maybe—maybe it has to do with why we're connected somehow," I said.

"That's—" Hazel looked like she was about to say crazy, but everything about this was crazy.

Suddenly the old man murmured. "Ah, Hazel…"

A shock went up my spine. The old man's eyes were still fixed on the horizon. How did he know we were here?

"I guess we ran out of time," the old man continued dreamily. "Well…"

He didn't finish the thought.

Hazel and I stayed very still. The old man made no further sign that he saw us or heard us. It dawned on me that the guy had been talking to himself. But then why had he said Hazel's name?

He had leathery skin, curly white hair, and gnarled hands, like he'd spent a lifetime working in a machine shop. He wore a pale yellow shirt, spotless and clean, with gray slacks and suspenders and polished black shoes.

Despite his age, his eyes were sharp and clear. He sat with a kind of quiet dignity. He looked at peace—amused, even, like he was thinking, _Dang, I lived this long? Cool!_

I was pretty sure I had never seen this man before. So why did he seem familiar? Then I realized the man was tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, but the tapping wasn't random. He was using Morse code, just like my mother used to do with me, and the old man was tapping the same message: _I love you._

The screen door opened. A young familiar woman came out. She wore jeans and a turquoise blouse. Her hair was cut in a short black wedge. She was pretty, but not delicate. She had well-muscled arms and calloused hands. Like the old man's, her brown eyes glinted with amusement. In her arms was a baby, wrapped in a blue blanket.

"Look, _mijo_ ," she said to the baby. "This is your _bisabuelo. Bisabuelo_ , you want to hold him?"

When I heard her voice, I sobbed.

"What's wrong Leo?" Hazel asked. "You know that woman."

I nodded. "It's—It's my mom."

Hazel looked like she was hit by a brick wall as she looked at the old man as if she realized who the old man was.

But I wasn't lying. The woman was my mother. She was younger than I remembered her, but very much alive. That meant the baby in her arms was...

The old man broke into a huge grin. He had perfect teeth, as white as his hair. His face crinkled with smile lines. "A boy! _Mi bebito,_ Leo!"

"Leo?" Hazel whispered. "That baby—it's you! But what is _bisabuelo_?"

At first I couldn't find my voice but I swallowed down my sob as I manage, "Great-Grandfather. He's my great-grandfather."

Hazel's eyes widened and I'm starting to understand why myself as the old man took baby me in his arms, chuckling with appreciation and tickling the baby's chin.

Somehow, Hazel's power to revisit the past had found the one event that connected both of our lives—where my time line touched Hazel's.

This old man…

"Oh..." Hazel said in a small voice as if in a verge of tears. "Oh, Sammy, no…"

"Ah, little Leo," said Sammy Veldez, aged well into his seventies. "You have to be my stunt double, eh? That's what they call it, I think. Tell her for me. I hope I would be alive, but, _ay_ , the curse won't have it!"

Hazel sobbed. "Gaea… Gaea told me that he died of a heart attack, in the 1960s. But this isn't—this can't be…"

Sammy kept talking to baby me, while my mother, Esperanza, looked on with a pained smile—perhaps a little worried that my _bisabuelo_ was rambling, a little sad that he was speaking nonsense.

But then I remember that my mom might know what my great-grandfather was talking about. Back in camp I learn that there were mortals that could see through the mist, and after my conversation with Hephaestus and remembering how my mom was against Hera's plan, I realized my mom might have been one of the few mortals with this clear sight ability.

"That lady, Doña Callida, she warned me." Sammy shook his head sadly. "She said Hazel was destined for greatness after my lifetime but in the life time of my first born great-grandson. You will have to tell her I'm sorry, Leo. Help her if you can."

 _"Bisabeulo,"_ Esperanza said. "you must be tired."

She extended her arms to take the baby, but the old man cuddled me a moment longer. Baby me seemed perfectly fine with it.

"Tell her I'm sorry I sold the diamond, eh?" Sammy said. "I broke my promise. When she disappeared in Alaska… ah, so long ago, I finally used that diamond, to moved to Texas as I always dreamed. I started my machine shop. Started my family! It was a good life, but Hazel was right. The diamond came with a curse. I never saw her again."

"Oh, Sammy," I said. "No, a curse didn't keep me away. I _wanted_ to come back. I died!"

The old man didn't seem to hear. He smiled down at baby me, and kissed me on the head. "I give you my blessing Leo. First male great-grandchild! I have a feeling you are special, like Hazel was. Perhaps you share a similar destiny as Hazel. If so, you will carry on for me. You will see her someday. Tell her hello for me."

 _"Bisabuelo,"_ Esperanza said, a little more insistently.

"Yes, yes." Sammy chuckled. " _El viejo loco_ rambles on. I am tired, Esperanza. You are right. But I'll rest soon. It's been a good life. Raise him well, _nieta_."

The scene faded.

…

I was standing on the deck of the _Argo II_ , still holding Hazel's hand. The sun had gone down, and the ship was lit only by bronze lanterns. Hazel's eyes were puffy from crying.

What we'd seen was too much. The whole ocean heaved under us, and now for the first time I felt as if we were adrift.

But at the same time when I look at Hazel who's chin trembled, I don't see a girl that was out of my league that I might have a possible crush on. I see a long lost relative that I been looking for without even knowing it or remembered hearing about.

Hazel turned away.

"Hazel—" I wanted to say something, but I didn't know how.

But before I could, the ship lurched to one side.

"Leo!" Coach Hedge yelled.

Festus whirred in alarm and blew flames into the night sky. The ship's bell rang.

"Those monsters you were worried about?" Hedge shouted. "One of 'em found us!"


	23. Leo's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part VII**

I deserve a dunce cap.

As it turned out, the one thing I keep forgetting was to switch the detection system from radar to sonar as soon as we left Charleston Harbor.

I'd design the hull to resonate every few seconds, sending waves through the Mist and alerting Festus to nearby monsters, but it only worked in one mode at a time: water or air.

I'd been so rattled by the Romans, then the storm, then Hazel—who turns out to be my great-grandfather's girlfriend (which sounded awkward to me now that I hear it in my mind), that I had completely forgotten. Now a monster was right underneath them.

The ship tilted to starboard. Hazel gripped the rigging, either to keep herself on board or because it wasn't helping her seasickness—possibly both. Hedge yelled, "Valdez, which button blows up monsters? Take the helm.

I manage to climbed the tilting deck and grab the port rail. I started clambering sideway toward the helm, but when I saw the monster surface, I forgot how to move.

The thing was the length of our ship. In the moonlight, it looked like a cross between a giant shrimp and a cockroach, which a pink chitinous shell, a flat crayfish tail, and millipede-type legs undulating hypnotically as the monster scraped against the hull of the _Argo II_.

It's surfaced last—the slimy pink face of an enormous catfish with glassy dead eyes, a gaping toothless maw, and a forest of tentacles sprouting from each nostril, making the bushiest nose beard I had ever had the displeasure to behold.

It reminded me of the shrimp and catfish my mom and I would eat at a local seafood restaurant in Houston, which now made me want to throw up.

"Come on, Valdez!" Hedge yelled. "Take the wheel so I can get my baseball bat!"

"A bat's not going to help," I said, but I made my way toward the helm.

Behind me, the rest of my friends stumbled up the stairs.

Percy must of woke up from the shaking of the ship because he was among them as he yelled, "What's going—Gah! Skolopendra!"

I would question what Percy just called that thing, but I was too busy trying to get to the helm.

Frank ran to Hazel's side. She was clutching the rigging, still daze from her flashback, but she gestured that she was all right. I decided when I get the chance I should clear things up with Frank and let him know about my connection to Hazel and Sammy. Maybe if I do, there won't be anymore _accidents_ between the two of us.

The monster rammed the ship again. The hull groaned. Annabeth, Piper, and Jason tumbled to starboard and almost rolled overboard.

I reached the helm. My hands flew across the controls. Over the intercom, Festus clacked and clicked about leaks below decks, but the ship didn't seem to be in danger of sinking—at least not yet.

I toggled the oars. We could convert into spears, which should be enough to drive this shrimpzilla away. Unfortunately, they were jammed. Skolopendra must have knocked them out of alignment, and the monster was in spitting distance, which meant that I couldn't use the ballistae without setting the _Argo II_ on fire as well.

"How did it get so close?" Annabeth shouted, pulling herself up on one of the rail shields.

"I don't know!" Hedge snarled. He looked around for his bat, which had rolled across the quarter deck.

"I'm stupid!" I scolded myself. "Stupid, stupid! I forgot to switch from radar to sonar!"

The ship tilted farther to starboard. Either the monster was trying to give us a hug, or it was about to capsize us.

"Sonar?" Hedge demanded. "Pan's pipes, Valdez! Maybe if you hadn't been—"

"I know!" I interrupted figuring it was a bad time to bring up whatever Coach Hedge think Hazel and I did to Frank. The last thing I want is for him to _accidentally_ let Shrimpzilla kill me.

"Percy, can you control the water to get us far from the Skolopendra?" Annabeth asked.

Percy closed his eyes and focus but it was hard with the ship shaking. He shook his head. "No good, the storm drained me too much. I don't think I can even use my thermos."

"What about you, Jason?" Piper said, "We could use some lightning right now."

Jason struggled to his feet. "It's the same for me."

The monster's tendrils lashed across the deck so fast, I didn't even have time to yell, _Look out!_

One slammed Percy in the chest and sent him crashing down the steps. Another wrapped around Piper's legs and dragged her, screaming, toward the rail. Dozens more tendrils curled around the mast, encircling the crossbows, and ripping down the rigging.

"Nose-hair attack!" Hedge snatched up his bat and leaped into action; but his hits just bounced harmlessly off the tendrils.

Jason drew his sword. He tried to free Piper, but he was still weak. His gold blade cut through the tendrils with no problem, but faster than he could sever them, more took their place.

Annabeth unsheathed her dagger. She ran through the forest of tentacles, dodging and stabbing at whatever target she could find. Frank pulled out his bow. He fired over the side at the creature's body, lodging arrows in the chinks of its shell; but that only seemed to annoy the monster. It bellowed, and rocked the ship. The mast creaked like it might snap off.

They need more firepower, but we couldn't use ballistae. We need to deliver a blast that wouldn't destroy the ship. But how…?

My eyes fixed on a supply crate next to Hazel's feet labeled WARNING. DO NOT OPEN.

"Hazel!" I yelled. "That box! Open it!"

Hazel looked at the box I meant and said, "The one that says DO NOT OPEN?"

"Yes! Open it!" I yelled. "Coach, take the wheel! Turn us toward the monster, or we'll capsize."

Hedge danced through the tentacles with his nimble goat hooves smashing away with gusto. He bounded toward the helm and took the controls.

"Hope you got a plan!" he shouted.

"A bad one." I raced toward the mast.

The monster pushed against the _Argo II_. The deck lurched to forty-five degrees. Despite everyone's efforts, the tentacles were just too numerous to fight. They seemed able to elongated as much as they wanted. Soon they'd have the _Argo II_ completely entangled. Percy hadn't appeared from bellow. I know his skin was hard as steel, but considering he was already weak from creating that storm with Jason, there's no telling how he's doing. Meanwhile the others were fighting for their lives against nose hair.

"Frank!" I called as I ran toward Hazel and the crate. "Buy us some time! Can you turn into a shark or something?"

Frank glanced over, scowling; and in that moment a tentacle slammed into the big guy knocking him overboard.

"Frank!" Hazel screamed dropping two glass vials she took from the crate.

I quickly caught them before they hit the deck. Each was the size of an apple, and the liquid inside glowed poisonous green. The glass was warm to the touch. My chest felt like it might explode with guilt for Frank. It was my fault he was knocked overboard. I swear if we make it out of this, I'll personally see to it that Frank gets back on the ship alive.

"Come on!" I handed Hazel one of the vials. "We can kill the monster and save Frank!"

I hoped I wasn't lying to Hazel. Getting to the port rail was more like rock climbing than walking, but we finally made it.

"What is this stuff?" Hazel gasped, cradling her glass vial.

"Greek fire!"

Her eyes widened. I guess even Romans heard of this stuff. "Are you _crazy_? If these break, we'll burn the whole ship!"

"It's mouth!" I said. "Just chuck it down its—"

Suddenly, I was crushed against Hazel, and the world turned sideways. As we were lifted into the air, I realized we'd been wrapped together in a tentacle. Both of my arms were free, but whereas Hazel was cradling the vial when this happened, her arms were pinned and the vial was trapped between us. I just hope that it doesn't break.

We rose ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet above the monster. I caught a glimpse of my friends in a losing battle, yelling and slashing at the monster's nose hairs. I saw Coach Hedge struggling to keep the ship from capsizing. The sea was dark, but in the moonlight, I saw a glistening object floating near the monster—maybe the unconscious body of Frank Zhang.

"Leo," Hazel gasped, "I can't—my arms—"

"Hazel, listen I need you to trust me," I said. "When this thing drop us, hold your breath. Whatever you do, try to chuck your vial as far away from the ship as possible."

"Why—why would it drop us?"

"Just trust me!" I responded. "My great-grandfather and your first boyfriend told me to look after you, and I plan to do just that and that will include Frank."

Hazel looked at me surprised at first but nodded.

I stared down at the monster's head. This would be a tough shot, but I had no choice. I raised the vial in my left hand and pressed my right hand against the tentacle. I summoned fire to my palm—a narrowly focused, white hot burst.

That got the creature's attention. A tremble went all the way down the tentacle as its flesh blistered under my touch. The monster raised its maw, bellowing in pain, and I threw my Greek fire straight down its throat.

After that, things got fuzzy. I felt the tentacle released us. We fell. I heard a muffled explosion and saw a green flash of light inside the giant pink lampshade of the monster's body. The water hit my face like a brick wrapped in sandpaper and I sank into darkness. I clamped my mouth shut, trying not to breathe, but I could feel myself losing consciousness.

Through the sting of the salt water, I thought I saw a hazy silhouette of the ship's hull above—a dark oval surrounded by a green fiery corona, but I couldn't tell if the ship was actually on fire.

All at the same time I felt stupid. There was a chance that Hazel Frank and I won't make it out of this. I just hoped the rest of my friend and the _Argo II_ make it out.

My vision began to dim. My lungs burned.

Just as I was about to give up, a strange face hovered over me—a man who looked like Chiron, our trainer back in Camp Half-Blood. He had the same curly hair, shaggy beard, and intelligent eyes—a look somewhere between wild hippie and fatherly professor, except this man's skin was the color of a lima bean. The man silently held up a dagger. His expression was grim and reproachful, as if to say: _Now, hold still, or I can't kill you properly._

I blacked out.

…

When I woke, I wondered if I was a ghost in another flashback, because I was floating weightlessly. My eyes slowly adjust to the dim light.

"About time." Frank's voice had too much reverb, like he was speaking through several layers of plastic wrap.

I sat up… or rather I drifted upright. I was underwater, in a cave about the size of a two-car garage. Phosphorescent moss covered the ceiling, bathing the room in a blue-and-green glow. The floor was a carpet of sea urchins, which would have been uncomfortable to walk on, so I was glad I was floating. I didn't understand how I could be breathing with no air.

Frank levitated nearby in meditation position. With his chubby face and his grumpy expression, he looked like a Buddha who'd achieved enlightenment and wasn't thrilled about it.

The only exit to the cave was blocked by a massive abalone shell—its surface glistening in pearl and rose and turquoise. If this cave was a prison, at least it had an awesome door.

"Where are we?" Leo asked. "Where is everyone else"

" _Everyone?"_ Frank grumbled. "I don't know. As far as I can tell, it's just you and me and Hazel down here. Those Fish-centaurs took Hazel about an our ago, leaving me with you."

Frank didn't seem happy about it, but then again, I'm the reason he's down here. He didn't look injured, but I realized that he no longer had his bow or quiver. In a panic, I patted my waist. My tool belt was gone.

"They search us," Frank said. "Took anything that could be a weapon. But I have no clue where this is."

I remembered the last thing I'd seen before I passed out—the lima-bean colored face of the bearded man with the dagger. "The shrimp monster—whatever Percy called it—"

"Skolopendra," Frank replied.

"Yeah, that! Did it destroy the _Argo II_?"

"I don't know," Frank said darkly. "The others might be in trouble or hurt, or—or worse. But I guess you care more about your ship than your friends.

I felt like my face had just hit the water again. "What kind of stupid thing—no! Look, I'm sorry for distracting you during the Shrimpzilla's attack. I was hoping to buy time to throw in Greek fire in the monster's mouth without anyone getting knock overboard and sparing the ship—"

Frank snorted. "What a great plan, genius? Because now both you and Hazel are down here with me cause of it."

I shrugged. "I didn't say it was perfect."

I looked at Frank and I remember that he still had no clue about Hazel's and my connection, and I doubt we would ever clear some air until he does.

"Look Frank, there's something that happened while you were bellow decks," I said.

"If you mean yours and Hazel's flashback trip, Hazel told me," Frank replied.

"She did?"

"Well, sort of—" Frank responded. "The Fish-Centaurs kind of got her before I could find any info, but she said you were related to Sammy or something?"

"He's my Great-Grandfather, actually," I said. "From what I understand, he died shortly after I was born, and left me a message for Hazel that I didn't even remember until the flashback trip."

"What kind of message?" Frank asked with slight worried.

"Just that he's sorry, and that he wanted me to look after Hazel when I meet her and etc," I said.

"How did he know Hazel and you would meet?" Frank asked.

"If I had to guess Juno or Hera gave him a visit," I replied. "Hey if it makes you feel better, I don't plan to take Hazel away from you, especially after the flashback trip."

Frank frowned. "You don't."

"Nah. Besides even if Hazel didn't date my Great-Grandfather, I wouldn't move on her. My mom taught me better than to move on a girl who boyfriend," I responded. "But I do plan to at least fulfill Sammy's wish and help look after Hazel during this quest—as a long-lost family member I mean."

I expected Frank to argue back but he seemed more shock over the fact that I'm related to Sammy.

But I still can't help but think what Frank meant when he thought I cared about my ship more than my friends.

My dad, Hephaestus, had admitted once that he wasn't good with organic life forms, and my big brother Beckendorf said that most of his kids are the same. Heck, I'm more comfortable with machines than people. But I _did_ care about my friends. Piper and Jason… I'd known them the longest, but the others were important to me too. Even Frank. They were like family.

The problem was, it had been so long since I had _had_ a family, I couldn't even remember how it felt. Sure, Beckendorf named me his second-in-command of Hephaestus Cabin and even led the cabin while he was in college; but most of my time had been spent building the ship. I liked my cabin mates who were basically my half-siblings. I knew how to work with them—but other than Beckendorf, did I really know them? Heck, do I even know Beckendorf?

If I had a family, it was mostly the demigods on the _Argo II_ —and maybe Coach Hedge, which I would never admit aloud.

Nemesis called me an outsider, and I'm starting to believe it. But I quickly push it out of my head.

"Right, so…" I looked around me. "We need to make a plan. How are we breathing? If we're under the ocean, shouldn't we be crushed by the water pressure?"

Frank shrugged. "Fish-centaur magic, I guess. I remember the green guy touching my head with the point of a dagger. Then I could breathe."

I studied the abalone door. "Can you bust us out? Turn into a hammerhead shark or something?"

Frank shook his head glumly. "My shape-shifting doesn't work. I don't know why. Maybe they cursed me, or maybe I'm too messed up to focus."

"I said I'm sorry!" I responded. "Besides, Hazel could be in trouble. We've got to get out of here."

I swam to the door and ran my fingers along the abalone. I couldn't feel any kind of latch or other mechanism. Either the door could only be opened by magic or sheer force was required—neither of which was my specialty."

"I've already tried," Frank said. "Even if we get out, we have no weapons."

"Hmm…" I held up my hand. "I wonder."

I concentrated, and fire flickered over my fingers. For a split second, I was excited, because I hadn't expected it to work underwater. But then my plan started working a little too well. Fire raced up my arm and over my body until I was completely shrouded in a thin veil of flame. I didn't feel the heat, which is expected as my powers over fire made me immune to it, but when I tried to breath, instead of breathing in oxygen I was breathing in heat.

"Leo!" Frank flailed backward like he was falling off a bar stool. Instead of racing to my aid, he hugged the wall to get as far away as possible.

Back in camp, I learn that demigods had natural fears that came from being an Olympian to a certain demigod. Like how most of my siblings were afraid of heights because of how Hera threw our dad off Mount Olympus (I don't of course, but most do). So immediately I could guess from Frank's reaction that he was afraid of fire.

I willed the flames to die and count to five to calm my nerves from breathing in heat. As soon as I was calm, I took a shallow breath and found I was surrounded by oxygen again.

Frank stopped trying to merge with the cave wall. "You're…you're okay?"

"Yeah—part of inheriting my dad Hephaestus' power over fire is that I'm immune to it," I explained. "Although I probably would of died if I ran out of oxygen."

"I—I'm sorry for panicking." Frank looked so horrified and ashamed it was hard for me to stay mad at him. "I just… what happened?"

"Clever magic," I said. "There's a thin layer of oxygen around us, like an extra skin. Must be self-regenerating. That's how we're breathing and staying dry. The oxygen gave the fire fuel—and if I didn't put it out, it would also suffocated me."

"I really don't…" Frank gulped. "I don't like that fire summoning you do." He started getting cozy with the wall again.

I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help laughing. "You couldn't have fooled me! I have to admit though, I knew some of Ares kids back in Camp Half-Blood and they're not afraid of fire. Is it a Mars thing?"

"Um, no… I don't think so," Frank said. "It's like a personal thing."

I remembered what Hazel had said—that my fire made Frank nervous. Before I didn't think much about it. Frank seemed _way_ more powerful and scary than I was. Heck, I wouldn't be surprise if Frank's bounty was two-or-three times bigger than mine.

Now I'm starting to wander if Frank had a bad experience with fire, which could end up being the one thing we have in common since my mom died in a machine shop blaze that I'd been blamed for starting. Ever since then I been called a freak and an arsonist because whenever I got angry or excited, things burned.

"Sorry I laughed," I said, and I meant it. "My mom died in a fire that burned down my family's machine shop. After that, I been too afraid to use my powers."

"Then why did you started using them?" Frank asked.

"Well, after I found out I was a demigod, it became inevitable to use it," I explained. "Especially when it was the only thing that kept Khione from turning Jason Piper and me into a human popsicle."

Frank shrugged. "My mom died in Iraq using her gift to sacrifice herself in order to protect her comrades, so I guess can respect you using your powers to protect Jason and Piper."

"Your mom had powers?" I asked.

"My whole family on my mom's side has the same shapeshifting powers as I do," Frank said. "My grandmother called it a curse though because it only gave our family problems, especially me."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Frank hesitated for a bit. "Annabeth said I could trust the crew. Even you."

"Even me, huh?" I wondered how _that_ had came up in conversation. If I had to guess why Frank went to Annabeth was to figure out the Chinese handcuffs. "Wow, high praise."

"My weakness…" Frank started, like the words cut his mouth. "There's this piece of firewood—"

The abalone door rolled open.

I turned and found myself face-to-face with Lima Bean Man, who wasn't actually a man at all. Now that I could see him clearly, I can see why he was called a fish centaur.

From the waist up, he was more or less human—a thin, bared-chested dude with a dagger in his belt and a band of seashells strapped across his chest like a bandolier. His skin was green, his beard scraggly brown, and his longish hair was tied back in a seaweed bandana. A pair of lobster claws stuck up from his head like horns, turning and snapping at random. Other than the beard and hair I wouldn't think he was Chiron's brother.

From the waist down, the guy was more complicated. He had the forelegs of a blue-green horse, sort of like a centaur, but toward the back, his horse body morphed into a long fishy tail about ten feet long, with rainbow-colored, V-shaped tail fin.

"I am Bythos," said the green man. "I will interrogate Frank Zhang."

His voice was calm and firm, leaving no room for debate.

"Why did you capture us?" I demanded. "Where's Hazel?"

Bythos narrowed his eyes. His expression seemed to say: _Did this tiny creature just talk to me?_ "You, Leo Valdez, will go with my brother."

"Your brother?"

I realized that a much larger figure was looming behind Bythos, with a shadow so wide, it filled the entire cave entrance.

"Yes," Bythos said with a dry smile. "Try not to make Aphros mad."


	24. Leo's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part VIII**

Aphros looked like Bythos' brother, except he was blue instead of blue-green and much, much bigger. He had Arnold-as-Terminator abs and arms, and a square, brutish head. A huge Conan-approved sword was strapped across his back. Even his hair was bigger—a massive globe of blue-black frizz so thick that his lobster-claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to swim their way to the surface.

"Is that why they named you Aphros?" I asked as we glided down the path from the cave. "Because of the afro?"

Aphros scowled. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," I said quickly. At least I will be able to remember the difference between the big dude and his brother. "You're these fish centaurs we heard about?"

"Ichthyocentaurs, yes," Aphros said, "We're half-brothers of Chiron."

"That's great! Chiron is a teacher of mine and he recommended we find you guys for a favor," I said.

Aphros narrowed his eyes. "The one called Hazel told us this, but we will determine the truth. Come."

I didn't like the sound of _determine the truth_. It made me think of torture racks and red-hot pokers and a the other torture devices I use to hear about in school.

I followed the fish centaur through a massive forest of kelp. I could've darted to one side and gotten lost in the plants pretty easily, but I didn't want to try because Aphros might be faster in the water than me, and this guy could shut off the magic that lets me move and breath underwater. To make matters worse, I had no idea where I was, so I had nowhere to go while this guy must know this part of the ocean better than me. So no matter if I was inside or outside the cave, I was his captive.

We drifted between rows of kelp as tall as apartment buildings. The green-and-yellow plants swayed weightlessly, like columns of helium balloons. High above I saw a smudge of white that might have been the sun which could mean we been down here over night.

I started to worry about my friends and the _Argo II_. Had they started sailing on without us or are they searching for us?

I couldn't even be sure how deep we were. Plants could grow here—so not _too_ deep, right? Still, I knew I couldn't just swim for the surface. I'd heard of people who ascended too quickly and developed nitrogen bubbles in their blood. I don't want carbonated blood.

We were drifting along for maybe a half a mile. I was tempted to ask where Aphros was taking me, but the big sword strapped on the centaur's back sort of discourage me from asking.

Finally, the kelp forest opened up and I gasped. We were standing—or rather swimming—at the summit of a high underwater hill. Below us stretched an entire town of Greek-style buildings on the seafloor.

The roofs were tiled with mother-of-pearl. The gardens were filled with coral and sea anemones. Hippocampi grazed in a field of seaweed. A team of Cyclopes was placing a dome roof on a new temple, using a blue whale as a crane. And swimming through the streets, hanging out in the courtyards, practicing combat with tridents and swords in the arena were dozens of mermen and mermaids—honest-to-goodness fish-people.

Up until now, I thought merpeople were myths, fictional creatures, but there they were. Even from the distance, they looked fierced and not at all human. Their eyes glowed yellow. They had shark like teeth and leathery skin in colors ranging from coral red to ink black.

"It's a training camp," I realized. I looked at Aphros in awe. "You train heroes, the same way Chiron does?"

Aphros nodded, a glint of pride in his eyes. "We have trained all the famous mer-heroes! Name a mer-hero, and we trained his or her!"

"Oh, sure," I said. "Like… um, the Little Mermaid?"

Aphros frowned. "Who? No! Like Triton, Glaucus, Weissmuller, and Bill!"

"Oh." I had no idea who any of those mer-people were. "You trained Bill? Impressive."

"Indeed!" Aphros pound his chest. "I trained Bill myself. A great merman."

"You teach combat, I guess."

Aphros threw his hands in exasperation. "Why does everyone assume that? No! I teach music and poetry! Life skills! Homemaking! These are important for heroes."

"Absolutely." I tried to keep a straight face even though I wouldn't have guessed he taught that kind of stuff with that sword strapped to his back. "Sewing? Cookie baking?"

"Yes. I'm glad you understand. Perhaps later, if I don't have to kill you, I will share my brownie recipe."

"Aphros!"

A merdude swam up to us, at least I think he was a merdude. He had two fish tails instead of one where his legs should be. Odd enough he looked familiar. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail.

"Triton, what are you doing here?" Aphros asked. "I would think you be back home trying to keep order with your father Lord Poseidon in his condition."

"I came to see if the rumors about the Skolopetra was true."

"That's what we're about to find out ourselves," Aphros said, "We have a captive right here, and I'm about to interrogate him."

The merdude known Triton turned to me and I realized he had the same sea-green eyes as Percy.

"Wait, you're a son of Poseidon?" I asked. "Then you're Percy's brother right?"

Triton seemed caught off guard. "You know my mortal half-brother?"

"Yeah, he's back on my ship," I replied. "We're actually on a quest together. So, if you're a son of Poseidon, wouldn't that make you an immortal god or something? How come you're not affected by the war?"

Triton studied me for a bit before saying, "Not all gods are affected by the war between the Greeks and Romans."

"Like how Nemesis Aphrodite and the Fates," I remembered, "Their domains are universal so they're not affected. Or Roman gods who were born during the Roman Empire. But what's your story?"

"There is no story. I'm not affected because the Romans didn't create a separate persona for me," Triton said, "There are minor gods like that: Iris for example: goddess of rainbows, or Khione: the goddess of snow."

That gave me a sinking feeling in my gut. I remember my encounter with the snow goddess and if she's not affected, that's not good for us.

"Aphros, I want to join in on interrogating this one," Triton said.

"Very well," Aphros said.

 _Great, now both of them wants to torture me_ , I thought before saying, "So how does this interrogation work?"

"Tell us your story," Aphros said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Well, I didn't expect that. After trying to decide what to do, I decided to go for the truth. I started at the beginning—how Hera had been my babysitter and placed me in the flames; how my mother died because of Gaea, who had identified me as a future enemy—which I later find out meant me being one of the seven greatest demigods of our generation. I talked about how I had spent my childhood bouncing around in foster homes, until Jason Piper and me been taken to Camp Half-Blood. I explained the Prophecy of Seven, the building of the _Argo II_ , and our quest to reach Greece and defeat the giants before Gaea woke. I even brought up about what I learned about Phorcys and Keto and the captive sea creatures which was why Chiron recommended Aphros and Bythos.

As I talked, Aphros drew some wicked-looking metal spikes and seaweed yarn from his pouch and started knitting.

"Go on," Triton urged as he still listening.

By time I explained about the eidolons, the problem with the Romans, and all the troubles the _Argo II_ had encountered crossing the United States and embarking from Charleston, Aphros had knitted a complete baby bonnet.

After Aphros put away his supplies, he and Triton had some kind of conversation in ancient Greek. Although I took classes in camp to learn the language, I still had trouble understanding them as they were speaking in a quick hush tone.

Finally, Triton spoke in English, "I must go back to the palace to assemble forces to deal with the Phorcys."

Then he turned to me. "When you see Percy, tell him I will personally see to it the sea creatures being sedated and used at the Whale Shark Aquarium will be free. And also tell him that I still expect him to not fail our father."

Triton swim off without saying anything else.

"So, you believe me?" I asked.

"Yes," Aphros said. "I am pretty good at discerning lies, and I hear none from you. Your story also fits with what Hazel Levesque told my brother and me."

"Is she—?"

"She's fine," Aphros said. He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, which sounded strange underwater—like a dolphin screaming. "My people will bring her here shortly. You must understand… our location is carefully guarded secret. You and your friends showed up in a warship, pursued by one of Keto's sea monsters. We did not know whose side you were on. And for you to attract even Triton's attention—well, fortunately for you, you were telling the truth."

"Is the ship all right?"

"Damaged," Aphros said, "but not terribly. The skolopendra withdrew after it got a mouthful of fire. Nice touch. Keto must really hate you to send one after you. At any rate, we rescued you and the other two from the creature's tentacles as it retreated into the deep. Your friends are still above, searching for you; but we have obscured their vision. We had to be sure you were not a threat. Otherwise, we would have to… take measures."

I gulped. I was pretty sure _taking measures_ did not mean baking extra brownies. And if these guys were so powerful that they could keep their camp hidden from Percy, who had all those Poseidonish water powers, they were not fish dudes to mess with. "So… we can go?"

"Soon," Aphros promised. "I must check with Bythos. When he is done talking with your friend Gank—"

"Frank."

"Frank. When they are done, we will send you back to your ship. And we may have warnings for you."

"Warnings?"

"Ah." Aphros pointed. Hazel emerged from the kelp forest, escorted by two vicious-looking mermaids, who were baring their fangs and hissing. Compare to them, Triton seem friendly. I thought Hazel might be in danger. Then I saw she was completely at ease, grinning and talking to her escorts, and I realized that the mermaids were laughing, which instead made Triton seem like a bad guy.

"Leo!" Hazel paddled toward me. "Isn't this place amazing?"

…

We were left alone at the ridge, which must have meant Aphros really did trust us. While the centaur and the mermaids were off to fetch Frank, Hazel and I floated above the hill and gazed down at the underwater camp, which I decided to call Camp Fish-Blood since the name Aphros gave me when I ask before he left made no sense to me.

Hazel told me how the mermaids had warmed up to her right away. Aphros and Bythos had been fascinated by her story, as they had never met a child of Pluto before. On top of that, they had heard many legends about the horse Arion, and they were amazed that Hazel had befriended him.

Hazel had promised to visit again with Arion. The mermaids had written their phone numbers in waterproof ink on Hazel's arm so that she could keep in touch. I didn't even want to ask how mermaids got cell-phone coverage in the middle of the Atlantic.

As Hazel talked, her hair floated around her face in a cloud—like a brown earth and gold dust in a miner's pan. She looked very sure of herself and very beautiful—not at all like the shy nervous girl in that New Orleans schoolyard with her smashed canvas lunch bag at her feet.

Now seem a good time to bring up about Sammy.

"We didn't get to talk," I said very carefully. "I mean about Sammy."

Her smile faded. "I know."

"Look, I'm not going to try to flirt with you, or try to ruin the relationship you have with Frank, but I'm willing to at least look after you like Sammy advised," I responded. "Like how family members look out for one another I mean."

Hazel seemed surprised and I was afraid I might of said something wrong. But then Hazel said, "Thanks Leo."

I nodded.

Hazel looked down into the valley where the Cyclopes were working. "I tried to explain to Frank about what happened, but I think he took it wrong. It didn't help that Bythos and Aphros took me away from you guys before I could explain."

"I wouldn't worry about that," I said. "Frank told me what happened, and I explained it to him. He even seemed to relax around me until I summoned fire."

Hazel stunned as her hand went to her denim jacket, like she was checking for something in the inside pocket. "That must of terrified him."

She always wore that jacket, or some sort of overshirt, even when it was hot outside. I had assumed that she did it out of modesty, or because it was better for horseback riding, like a motorcycle jacket. Now I began to wonder.

My brain shifted into high gear. I remembered what Frank had said about his weakness… a piece of firewood—and how he said his fear of fire was more personal and that his family gift was more of a curse—especially to him. I thought about why this kids would have feared fire, and why Hazel would be so attuned to those feelings. I thought about some of the stories I heard at Camp Half-Blood. For obvious reasons, I tended to pay attention to legends about fire. Now I remembered one I hadn't thought about in months.

"I remembered an old legend about a hero Menelaus," I recalled. "His lifeline was tied to a tick in a fireplace, and when his mother threw it into the fire place, the wood burned up and he died."

Hazel's expression turned dark. I knew I'd struck on the truth.

"Frank has his curse—the Menelaus curse," I guessed. "And the piece of firewood…" I pointed at Hazel's jacket. "He gave it to you for safekeeping?"

"Leo, please don't… I can't talk about it."

My instincts as a mechanic kicked in. I started thinking about the properties of wood and the corrosiveness of salt water. "Is the firewood okay in the ocean like this? Does the layer of air around you protect it?"

"It's fine. Frank and I checked it out when we woke up," Hazel said. "The wood didn't even get wet. Besides, it's wrapped up in layers of cloth and plastic and—" She bit her lip in frustration. "And I'm not supposed to _talk_ about it!"

"Okay! I get it!" I responded. "Believe me, I know what it's like to have a secret I don't like sharing about."

Still, I can't help but feel dizzy about it. Frank must be terrified of me, and now I don't blame him. His life is so fragile, it could literally burn up at any time. I imagined how much trust it would take to give his lifeline—his entire fate—to another person.

Frank had chosen Hazel, obviously. So when he had seen me—a guy who could summon fire at will—moving on his girl.

I shuddered and found myself grateful that I manage to break through Frank's coldness to me, even if he's still scared of me. Not to mention I started to realize why Frank called his family gift a curse. Frank's mom died using the gift to protect her comrades, and Frank's life line depends on a stick cause of the gift.

But then I thought about my least favor line in the Prophecy of Seven: _To storm or fire the world must fall_. For a long time I'd figured that Jason or Percy stood for storm, maybe both of them together. I was the fire guy. Nobody said that, but it was pretty clear. I was one of the wild cards. If I did something wrong, the world could fall. No… it _must_ fall. I wondered if Frank and his firewood had something to do with that line. I had already made some epic mistakes. It would be so easy for me to accidentally send Frank Zhang up in flames.

"There you are!" Bythos' voice made me flinch.

Bythos and Aphros floated over with Frank between them, looking pale but okay.

"You are free to go," Bythos sad. He opened his saddlebags and returned our confiscated supplies. I had never been so glad to fit my tool belt around my waist.

"Be sure to tell Percy Triton's message," Aphros said.

"Why can't you tell him?" I asked.

Both fish centaurs shook their heads solemnly.

"Sometimes it is best not to interact with Poseidon's half-blood children," Aphros said. "We are friendly with the sea god, and yes we did train Triton but the politics of the undersea deities is… complicated. And we value our independence. Nevertheless, tell Percy thank you. We will do what we can to speed your safety across the Atlantic without further interference of Keto's monsters, but be warned: in the ancient sea, the Mare Nostrum, more dangers await."

Frank sighed. "Naturally."

Bythos clapped the big guy on the shoulder. "You will be fine, Frank Zhang. Keep practicing those sea life transformations. Percy was wise to recommend you the form of a hippocampi, but next time try for a Portuguese man-of-war. Remembered what I showed you. It's all in the breathing."

Frank looked mortally embarrassed. I bit my lip, determined not to smile.

"And you, Hazel," Aphros said, "come visit again, and bring that horse of yours! Don't worry about your sister Bianca, when the time comes, I'm sure the fates will finally let you two meet. As for your concerns about the time you lost, spending the night in our realm. You are worried about your brother, Nico…"

Hazel gripped her cavalry sword. "Is he—do you know where he is?"

Aphros shook his head. "Not exactly. But when you get closer, you should be able to sense his presence. Never fear! You must reach Rome the day after tomorrow if you are to save him, but there is still time. And you _must_ save him."

"Yes," Bythos agreed. "He will be essential for your journey, and through it, I'm certain his prediction will come true. I'm not sure how, but I sense it is true."

Aphros planted his hand on Leo's shoulder. "As for you Leo Valdez, stay close to Hazel and Frank when you reach Rome. I sense they will face… ah, _mechanical_ difficulties that only you can overcome."

"Mechanical difficulties?" I asked.

Aphros smiled as if that was great news. "And I have gifts for you, the bravest navigator of the _Argo II_!"

"I like to think of myself as captain," I said. "Or supreme commander."

"Brownies!" Aphros said proudly, shoving an old fashioned picnic basket into my arms. It was surrounded by a bubble of air, which I hoped would keep the brownies from turning into saltwater fudge sludge. "In this basket you will also find the recipe. Not too much butter! That's the trick. And I've given you a letters of introduction to Tiberinus, the god of the Tiber River. Once you reach Rome, your friend the daughter of Athena will need this to pass her test."

"You mean with the Mark of Athena?" I asked.

Bythos laughed. "Yes! Tiberinus can guide her in this quest. He's an ancient, proud god who can be… difficult; but letters of introduction are everything to Roman spirits. This will convince Tiberinus to help her. Hopefully."

"Hopefully," I repeated with a sarcastic comment. "That sound reassuring."

Bythos laughed some more. Then he produced three small pink pearls from his saddlebags. "And now, off with you demigods! Good sailing!"

He threw a pearl at each of us one at a time, and the three shattered and formed pink bubbles of energy around us. We began to rise through the water. I just had time to think: _A hamster ball elevator?_ Before it rocketed us toward the glow of the sun above.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, I included Triton and made him immune to the war between Greeks and Romans. I figured since I had Percy get on Triton's good mood when they met in ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' I should have Triton personally see to it that those sea creatures were freed on Percy's request.


	25. Piper's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part V**

I had a new entry in my top-ten list of _Times I Felt Useless_.

Fighting Shrimpzilla with a dagger and a pretty voice? Not effective. Then the monster had sunk into the deep and disappeared along with three of my friends, and I'd been powerless to help them.

Afterward, Annabeth, Coach Hedge, and Buford the table rushed around repairing things so that the ship wouldn't sink. Despite his exhaustion, Percy—who survived being slammed down the stairs to the deck bellow thanks to his Achilles Curse—searched the ocean for our missing friends. Jason, also exhausted, flew around the rigging like a blond Peter Pan, putting out fires from the second green explosion that had it up the sky just above the mainmast.

As for me, all I could do was stare at my knife Katoptris, trying to locate Leo, Hazel, and Frank. The only images that came to me were ones I didn't want to see: three black SUVs driving north from Charleston, packed with Roman demigods, Reyna sitting at the wheel of the lead car. Giant eagles escorted them from above. Every so often, glowing purple spirits in ghostly chariots appeared out of the countryside and fell in behind them, thundering up I-95 toward New York and Camp Half-Blood.

I concentrated harder. I saw the nightmarish images I seen before: the human-headed bull rising from the water, then the dark well-shaped room filling with black water as Jason Percy and I struggled to stay afloat as Percy took out that thermos of his. Which I'm certain now doesn't draw in water.

I sheathed Katroptris, wondering how Helen of Troy had stayed sane during the Trojan War, if this blade had been her only source of news. Then I remembered that everyone around Helen had been slaughtered by the invading Greek army. Maybe she _hadn't_ stayed sane.

By time the sun rose, none of us had slept. Percy had scoured the sea floor and found nothing. Not even Chiron's brothers, which frustrated him. It didn't help that Jason questioned if he had the coordinates right.

"Of course I got it right! Sea navigation is hardwired in my brain, it would be impossible for me to get it wrong, and yet I didn't see anything!" Percy snapped.

Annabeth had to stop working on the ship to calm her boyfriend down and explained that Percy's fatal flaw is Personal Loyalty, which pretty much explains a lot to me. Percy doesn't like being useless while his friends were in danger or missing, and the fact he couldn't find the two brothers of Chiron that could help him find them probably didn't help his mood.

The only good news was that the _Argo II_ was no longer in danger of sinking, and the sycopactor that keeps our engine that contains powerful and dangerous mixtures from exploding was still working. But without Leo, we can't finish repairing the ship.

Annabeth and I send an Iris-message to Chiron, letting him know what happened with the Romans at Fort Sumter. Annabeth explained her exchange of words with Reyna, and I relay the vision from my knife about the SUV's racing north. The kindly centaur's face seemed to age thirty years during the course of our conversation, but he assured us he would see to the defenses of the camp. Tyson, Mrs. O'Leary, and Ella had arrived safely. If necessary, Tyson could summon an army of cyclopes loyal to Olympus to the Camp's defense, and Ella and Rachel Dare were already comparing prophecies, trying to learn more about what the future held. The job of the seven demigods aboard the _Argo II_ , Chiron reminded us, was to finish the quest, and come back safely.

After the Iris-message, we paced around the deck in silence, staring at the water and hoping for a miracle.

When it finally came—three giant pink bubbles bursting at the surface off the starboard bow and ejecting Frank, Hazel, and Leo—I went a little crazy. I cried out with relief and dove straight into the water.

What was I thinking? I didn't take a rope or a life vest or anything. But at the moment, I was just so happy to see my friends and brother-like-figure Leo (although technically we are step siblings but I rather not think about the fact that my mom and his dad are married), and kissed him on the cheek, which kind of surprised him.

"Miss me?" Leo laughed.

I was suddenly furious. "Where _were_ you? How are you guys alive?"

"Long story," he said. A picnic basket bobbed to the surface next to him. "Want a brownie?"

Once they got on board and changed into dry clothes (poor Frank had to borrow a pair of too-small pants from Jason) the crew all gathered on the quarter deck for a celebratory breakfast—except for Coach Hedge, who grumbled that the atmosphere was getting too cuddly for his tastes and went below to hammer out some dents in the hull. While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Hazel and Frank related the story of the fish-centaurs and their training camp.

"Incredible," Jason said. 'These are _really_ good brownies."

"That's our only comment?" I demanded.

He looked surprised. "What? I heard the story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Message from Percy's immortal half-brother. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies—"

"I know," Frank said, his mouth full. Try them with Esther's peach preserves."

"That," Hazel said, "is _incredibly_ disgusting."

"Pass me the jar, man," Jason said.

Hazel and I exchanged a look of total exasperation. _Boys._

Percy, for his part, didn't seem surprised that he wasn't allowed at the training camp, disappointed but not surprised.

"See! I told you I got the coordinates right!" Percy responded.

"Sorry, bro," Jason replied.

"It's okay. Sorry for snapping at you," Percy responded. "My fatal flaw got the best of me."

Percy turned to Leo, who was still fussing over the controls. "What did Triton say anyways?"

"Uh… oh, um just that he would personally see to it that those sea creatures would be free from Phorcys' imprisonment, and something about making your dad proud," Leo said.

"Have you met Triton before?" Frank asked.

Percy nodded, "Last summer. I manage to get on Triton's good side. I wish I can say the same about my step mom Amphitrite though." Percy frowned. "But if Triton is covering for my dad, then he must be worse than I thought—I wondered how the other Olympian's state of mind are."

"That's not even the worse of it," Leo said. "Your big bro confirmed that our least favorite snow goddess isn't affected by the war between the Greeks and Romans too."

I groaned. "And if she's still willing to work with Gaea against Olympus."

"We might see her during our quest," Jason said, "And I doubt it will be a pleasant one."

"We got other things to worry about too," Annabeth said.

"She's right," Hazel said. "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish-centaur said we _have_ to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."

She looked around defensively, as if waiting for someone to argue. No one did. I tried to imagine what Nico di Angelo was feeling, stuck in a jar with only two pomegranate seeds left to sustain him, and no idea whether he would be rescued. It made me anxious to reach Rome, even though I had a horrible feeling I was sailing toward my own sort of prison—a dark room filled with water.

"Nico must have information about the Doors of Death," I said. "We'll save him, Hazel. We can make it in time. Right Leo?"

"What?" Leo had once again lost focus and was concentrating on the controls. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of the day sailing to Rome, or flying, if I can get the stabilizer fixed by then…"

Jason suddenly looked as though his brownie with peach preserves didn't taste so good. "Which will put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. Twenty-four hours to find him—at most."

Percy crossed his legs. "Not to mention the Mark of Athena."

Percy stared at Annabeth, as if he was concern about something.

Annabeth didn't seem happy with the change of topic. She rested her hand on her backpack, which, since we'd left Charleston, she always seemed to have with her.

She opened the bag and brought out a thin bronze disk the diameter of a donut. "This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It's…"

She stopped abruptly staring at the smooth bronze surface. "It's blank! I was looking at it in my cabin and…" Annabeth muttered under her breath. "It must be like the Mark of Athena. I can only see it when I'm alone. It won't show itself to other demigods."

Percy frowned and took the disc to examined it. "It still seemed advance for something that is as old or possibly older than the Civil War. I wouldn't be surprise if Daedalus had some part of making this disc for Athena."

"Isn't that the name of the old inventor who build the Minotaur's Labyrinth?" I asked. "I thought he died thousands of years ago."

"Actually, he faked his death and transfer his soul into an automaton which made him immortal up until two years ago when he let Nico release his soul from the Automaton in order to destroy the labyrinth he created," Percy explained which made him and Annabeth seemed depressed.

Frank seemed nervous as he tried to back away from the disc. He had an orange-juice mustache and a brownie-crumb beard that made me want to hand him a napkin.

"What did the disc have on it?" Frank asked nervously, "And what _is_ the Mark of Athena? I still don't get it."

Percy handed the disc back to Annabeth. She turned it in the sunlight, but it remained blank. "The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that's where my quest starts… the path I've got to take to follow the Mark in order to pass my test."

"Maybe that's where you meet the river god Tiberinus," I said. "But what _is_ the Mark?"

"The coin," Annabeth murmured.

Percy frowned. "What coin."

Annabeth dug into her pocket and brought out a silver drachma. "I've been carrying this ever since I saw my mom at Grand Central. It's an Athenian coin."

She passed it around. While each demigod looked at it, I had a ridiculous memory of show-and-tell in elementary school.

"An owl," Leo noted. "Well, that makes sense. I guess the branch is an olive branch? But what's this inscription, ΑΘΕ?"

"They're Greek letters for Alpha, theta, and epsilon," Percy replied, "If I remember right, that's the Athenian motto, right?"

Annabeth nodded. " _Of the Athenians_ … also known as _the children of Athena_."

"So it's like the SPQR for the Romans," I guessed.

Annabeth nodded. "Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams. Then twice at Fort Sumter."

She described what had happened at the fort—the voice of Gaea, the spiders in the garrison, the Mark burning them away. I could tell it wasn't easy for her to talk about.

"There's one thing I'm certain of," Annabeth said. "When we get to Rome, I'll have to strike out this quest on my own. It's the only way for the Mark to appear."

Percy took Annabeth's hand trying to hide his worried look, which seemed odd. Just a few days ago, Percy was certain Annabeth could take on this quest, but now he seemed uncertain, as if something could go wrong if Annabeth goes on her own.

Frank took the coin from Leo. He stared at the owl. _"The giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won with pain from a woven jail."_ He looked up at Annabeth. "What is this source?"

Before Percy or Annabeth could answer, Jason spoke up.

"A statue," he said. "A statue of Athena. At least… that's my guess."

Percy nodded. "That was my guess too. I take it you _remember_ the legend now?"

Jason turned a little pink. "Too be honest, I never forgot. I was just scared to bring it up."

Percy stared at Jason for a moment before smiling. "I thought so!"

Jason blinked. "You knew I was lying?"

Percy nodded. "No offense, bro, but you're not much better at lying than Thalia, especially when you change topics."

I guess I shouldn't be surprise. I remember hearing how Thalia found out Jason was still alive through Halcyon Green, the same guy who gave Percy his prediction that involved the prophecy of seven. Which meant Percy was there to hear Thalia's prediction, which eventually led to him figuring out and asking Thalia about Jason.

Jason nodded and turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry. I should have told you everything I've heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true—"

"I know," Annabeth said. "I don't blame you, Jason. According to Aphrodite, even after we found it, unless it's return just the right way, the feud between Greeks and Romans won't end."

"Right way? What is the right way?" Percy asked.

"We don't know," I mumbled. "My mother won't give us much details on how, other than if the fates allow it we'll find out."

"But what's the deal about this statue?" Leo asked.

Annabeth took back the silver coin and slipped it into her pocket. "The Athena's Parthenos," she said. "The most famous statue of all time. It was forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens."

The ship went silent, except for the waves lapping against the hull.

"Okay, I'll bite," Leo said at last. "What happened to it?"

"According to legend, the statue disappeared sometime when the Romans conquered Greece," Percy replied.

"That's because the Romans took it," Jason said. "At least, that's the theory. It would explain why Athena's children never forgave the Romans, and it fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirits, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally _stole_ Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess."

"And children of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since," Annabeth said. "Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the goddess. They're given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena… a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue… hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back."

I watched the two of them—Annabeth and Jason—with quite amazement. They spoke like a team, without any hostility or blame. I knew that even though Annabeth had accepted Jason as Thalia's long lost brother, the two of them never really trusted each other. I was close to both of them to know that. But now… if they could discuss such a huge problem so calmly—the ultimate source of Greek/Roman hatred—maybe there was hope for the two camps after all.

Percy leaned back. "So you have to find the statue and then we have to find a way to transport of forty-foot-tall statue in order to return it correctly in order to bring peace between the two camps."

"It's more than that, it might be able to heal my mother's hatred and her two aspects," Annabeth said.

"In other words, restore the balance," Hazel said.

Annabeth nodded.

I stared at Annabeth in awe, just starting to appreciate the huge responsibility my friend had taken on. And the fact that Annabeth must do it alone made the quest to free Thantos and Hera look like a walk in the park.

"This could change everything," I said. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can't help you…"

I didn't finish, but the question seemed to hang in the air: _Was saving the statue even possible?_

Annabeth squared her shoulders. I knew she must be terrified inside, but she did a good job hiding it.

"I have to succeed," Annabeth simply. "The risk is worth it."

Hazel twirled her hair pensively. "I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone, but you're right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created—"

"It could kick some serious booty," Leo offered.

Hazel frowned. "That wasn't what the way _I'd_ put it, but yes."

I looked at Percy. He tried to hide his expression but it was obvious that he was worried about his girlfriend.

 _"Won through pain from a woven jail,"_ Frank recalled. "Woven, like webs—you think the creature guarding it has something to do with spiders?"

Annabeth's face turned as white as printer paper. I suspected that Annabeth knew what awaited her… or at least she had a very good idea. She was trying to hold down a wave of terror.

Percy grabbed her hand, trying to calm down. "It's okay. We can deal with it when we get to Rome."

I nodded. "Sounds like a good idea."

Annabeth nodded gratefully.

Judging from our half-eaten breakfast, the others still felt uneasy; but Leo manage to shake us out of it. He pushed a button, and a loud blast of steam exploded from Festus' mouth, making us jump.

"Well!" he said. "Good pep rally, but there's still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your superfun list of chores."

…

Jason and I took charge of cleaning the lower deck, which had been thrown into chaos during the monster attack. Reorganizing the sickbay and battening down the storage area took us most of the day, but I didn't mind. For one thing, I got to spend time with Jason. For another, last night's explosions had given me a whole new respect for Greek Fire. I didn't want to loose any vials of that stuff, and we certainly don't want it rolling around the corridor at night.

But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel jealous of Annabeth and Percy. They snuck out and spend a night in the storage room. It may not seem romantic, but Annabeth explained that she picked it because knew it would remind them of the day they met.

I wished that I could talk with Jason all night—just curled up somewhere private and enjoy being with him. Why didn't _they_ get to break the rules?

But Jason wasn't like that. He was hardwired to be a leader and set a good example. Breaking the rules didn't come naturally to him.

No doubt Reyna admired that about him. I did too… mostly.

The one time I convinced him to be a rebel was back at the Wilderness School, when we had sneaked onto the roof at night to watch a meteor shower and kissed.

Unfortunately, that memory was a trick of the Mist, a magical lie implanted in my head by Hera.

Sure, Jason and I were a couple _now_ , in real time, but I doubt I can get the _real_ Jason to sneak out at night.

Now we were in the stables. I swept the hay into piles. Jason fixed a broken door on one of the stables. The glass floor glowed from the ocean below—a green expanse of light and shadow that seemed to go down forever. I kept glancing over, afraid, I'd see a monster's face peeping in, or the water cannibals from my grandfather's old stories; but all I saw was an occasional school of herring.

As I watched Jason worked, I admired how easily he did each task, whether it was fixing a door or oiling saddles. It wasn't just his strong arms and his skillful hands, though I liked those just fine, but the way he acted so upbeat and confident. He did what needed to be done without complaint. He kept his sense of humor, despite the fact that guy had to be dead on his feet after not having slept the night before. I couldn't blame Reyna for having a crush on him. When it came to work and duty, Jason was Roman to the core.

I thought about my mother's tea party in Charleston. I wondered what the goddess had told Reyna a year ago, and why it had changed the way Reyna treated Jason. Had Aphrodite encourage or discourage her to like Jason?

I wasn't sure, but I wished my mom hadn't appeared in Charleston. Regular mothers were embarrassing enough. Godly glamour moms who invited your friends over for tea and guy talk—that was just mortifying.

Aphrodite had paid so much attention to Annabeth and Hazel, it had made me uneasy. When my mom got interested in somebody's love life, usually that was a bad sign. It meant trouble was coming. Or as Aphrodite would say, _twist and turns_.

But at first, I was also secretly hurt not to have my mother to myself. Aphrodite had barely looked at me. She didn't say a word about Jason. She didn't even bother explaining her conversation with Reyna at all.

It was almost as if Aphrodite no longer found me interesting. I had gotten my guy. Now it was up to me to make things work, and Aphrodite had moved on to newer gossip as easily as she might toss out an old copy of a tabloid magazine.

The only thing she reinsure me about the whole time was that she was keeping an eye on my dad incase Gaea changed her mind about leaving him alone. Which was a relief on my behalf, but I was sort of hoping for some advice.

Then again, I'm suppose to be the expert in making relationship work. My sister Silena Beauregard tried to help me get use to the future job of relationship counsellor that seem to come with the job of Cabin Counsellor of Cabin ten. I even let me handle a few myself. But it wasn't easy when I couldn't even work with my own relationship.

"What are you thinking?" Jason asked.

I quickly realized I'd been making a sour face. In the reflection of the glass bay doors, I looked like I'd swallowed a teaspoon of salt.

"Nothing," I said. "I mean… a lot of things. Kind of all at once."

Jason laughed. The scar on his lip almost disappeared when he smiled. Considering all the stuff he'd been through, it was amazing that he could be in such a good mood.

"It's going to work out," he promised. "Percy said so himself."

I laughed a little. "I think he just said that to calm Annabeth down."

Jason shrugged. "Still, it's true. We're almost to the ancient lands. We've left the Romans behind."

"And now they're on their way to Camp Half-Blood to attack our friends."

Jason hesitated, as if it was hard to put a positive spin on that. "Chiron will find a way to stall them. The Romans might take weeks to actually find the camp and plan their attack. Besides, Reyna will do what she can to slow things down. She's still on our side. I know she is."

"You trust her." My voice sounded hollow, even to myself.

"Look, Pipes. I told you, you've got nothing to be jealous about."

"She's beautiful. She's powerful. She's so… Roman."

Jason put down his hammer. He took my hand, which sent a tingle up my arm. My dad had once taken me to the Aquarium of the Pacific to show me an electric eel. He told me that the eel sent out pulses that shock and paralyzed its prey. Every time Jason look at me or touched my hand, I felt like that.

"You're beautiful and powerful," he said. "And I don't want you to be Roman. I want you to be Piper. Besides, we're a team, you and me.

I wanted to believe him, I really do. We been officially together since the day after we finished our first quest, which was months ago. Still, I couldn't get rid of my doubts, any more than Jason could get rid of the SPQR tattoo burned on his forearm.

Above us, the ship's bell rang for dinner.

Jason smirked. "We'd better get up there. We don't want Coach Hedge tying bells around our necks."

I shuddered at the thought. Coach Hedge had threatened to do that after the Percy/Annabeth scandal, so he knows if anyone sneak out at night. I heard about satyr's sense of hearing being stronger than human, and believe it or not I seen it myself in Wilderness School, so I can believe he can do that.

"Yeah," I said regretfully, looking at the glass doors below our feet. "I guess we need dinner… and a good night's sleep."


	26. Piper's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part VI**

The next morning I woke to a different ship's horn—a blast so loud it literally shook me out of bed.

At first I thought it was one of Leo's practical jokes. But then the horn boomed again. It sounded like it was coming several hundred yards away—from another vessel.

I rushed to get dressed. By time I got up on deck, the others had already gathered—all hastily dressed except for Coach Hedge, who had pulled the night watch.

Frank's Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt was inside out. Percy wore pajama pants and a bronze breastplate, which was an interesting fashion statement. Hazel's hair was all blown to one side, as though she'd walked through a cyclone; and Leo must have accidentally set himself on fire because his T-shirt was in charred tatters and his arms were smoking.

About a hundred yards to port, a massive cruise ship glided past. Tourist waved at us from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trireme. Maybe the Mist made it look like a fishing boat or some kind of tourist attraction.

The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the _Argo II_ had a shaking fit.

Coach Hedge plugged his ears. "Do they have to be so loud?"

"They're just saying hi," Frank speculated.

"WHAT?"

The ship edged past them, heading out to sea. The tourist kept waving. If they found it strange that the _Argo II_ was populated by half-asleep kids in armor and pajamas and a man in goat legs, they didn't let on.

"Bye!" Leo called, raising his smoking hand.

"Can I man the ballistae?" Hedge asked.

"No," Leo said through a forced smile.

Hazel rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. "What are—oh… Wow."

I followed her gaze and gasped. Without the cruise ship blocking our view, I saw a mountain jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north. I have seen impressive cliffs before. I'd driven Highway 1 along the California coast. I'd even fallen down the Grand Canyon with Jason and flown back up. But neither was as amazing as this massive fist of blinding white rocks thrust into the sky. On one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below, as near as I could figure. On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, so that the whole thing reminded me of a colossal sphinx, wore down over the millennia, with a massive white head and chest, and a green cloak over its back.

"The Pillars of Hercules," Percy responded as his hand instinctively reach for the pocket on his pajamas..

"The Pillars of Hercules?" Leo asked.

"That's the ancient Greek name," Annabeth said. "Back in ancient Greece this once was a mountain range that connected Spain to Africa until Hercules destroyed a section of it during his twelve task. Ever since then it been known too all demigods as—"

"Let me guess, the Pillars of Hercules," Leo replied.

Both Percy and Annabeth nodded.

"We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean," Annabeth said.

The morning was warm, but I shivered. Despite the wide stretch of sea in front of them, I felt like I was standing at an impassable barrier. Once in the Mediteranean—the Mare Nostrum—they would be in the ancient lands. If the legends were true, our quest would become ten times more dangerous.

"What now?" I asked. "Do we just sailed in?"

"It depends," Percy said.

I frowned "Depends on what?"

"If the most famous hero of his time will let us through," Percy replied.

"Wait, are you saying the guy the pillars was named after is up there?" Leo asked looking up, "How can you tell?"

"Because Riptide is reacting to it's former owner's presence," Percy replied.

Jason frowned. "Your sword once belong to Hercules?"

Percy nodded. "It was made by an ancient sea goddess before my dad's time, who passed it down to her daughter Zoë Nightshade, who gave it to Hercules to help him against Ladon for the Golden Apple Task before he left her to suffer the consequences of betraying her father and sisters and without family until Artemis found her." Percy clenched his fist as if it brought bad memories. "After that, from what I understand after Hercules became immortal Riptide was returned to the sea where my dad got hold of it before he had Riptide along with Thalia's shield Aegis be locked up in Hal's home before he was born until Thalia and I claimed them."

The sky boomed as if reacting to Percy's story.

I frowned. "I never heard that story."

"That's because they left that part out of the twelve task of Hercules," Percy replied. "Not everything is mention in the stories."

"Okay… So the question remains," I said wanting to change topics, "Will Hercules let us through?"

As if answering my question, a figure showed up standing on the beach. As the ship approach the columns, I saw a dark-haired man in purple robes, his arms crossed, staring intently at our ship as if he were expecting us. I couldn't tell much else about him from the distance, but judging from his posture, he wasn't happy.

"Hercules," Jason said as if answering everyone's question.

"Well, what should we do?" Leo asked.

"We have to keep going," Annabeth said. "I think he's guarding these straits. If that's really Hercules, sailing or fling away wouldn't do any good. He'll want to talk to us."

I wanted to vote for flying away from here, but I had a feeling Annabeth was right. If we wanted to pass into the Mediterranean, we couldn't avoid this meeting.

"Won't Hercules be on our side?" she asked hopeful. "I mean... he's one of us, right?"

Jason grunted. "He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never be sure with gods."

I remember our meeting with Bacchus in Kansas-another god who used to be a demigod. He hadn't been helpful.

"Well, if we're going someone up there, it might be for the best whoever goes up there not bring up Hera or Juno," Percy advised.

"Why? I thought Hercules made peace with her?" Piper asked.

Percy shrugged. "We can't be certain of that. For all we know that could of been just something Hera made up to make herself look better."

"You mean like how she blamed Zeus for throwing my dadoff Mount Olympus when he was born when in reality she did it herself?" Leo asked

The sky rumbled but Percy nodded.

"Percy's right, we shouldn't bring up Hera or Juno to Hercules," Annabeth agreed. "But we still should send a small team of one or two. Try to talk with him."

"I'll go," Jason said. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm a son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."

"Maybe if you earn his respect or something," Percy said, "That's how I got on Triton's good side."

"It's worth a shot," Annabeth said. "At least Jason and Hercules have something in common. And we need our best diplomat—the peacekeeper of the seven of us."

Of course when Annabeth said that everyone turned to me.

Times like these, I wish Aphrodite didn't tell me I was the peacekeeper of the seven of us, or that I didn't have Charmspeak ability, because ever since we left Camp Half-Blood to pick up Percy Frank and Hazel, it seems to always put me in these situations. And it didn't help that a bad premonition gnawed at gut.

But if Jason was going ashore, I wanted to be with him. Maybe this hugely powerful god would turn out to be helpful. We had to have good luck once in a while, right?

"Fine," I said. "Just let me change my clothes."

…

Once Leo had anchored the _Argo II_ between the pillars, Jason summoned the wind to carry the two of us ashore.

The man in purple known as Hercules was waiting for us, and he was nothing what I expected.

I heard tons of stories about Hercules. I'd seen several cheesy movies and cartoons. Before today, if I had thought about him at all, I'd just roll my eyes and imagine some stupid hairy dude in his thirties with a barrel chest and a gross hippie beard, with a lion skin over his head and a big club like a caveman. I also imagined him smelling bad, belching, and scratching himself a lot, and speak mostly in grunts.

Instead, the only thing bare was Hercules' feet which was covered in white sand. His robes made him look like a priest, though I couldn't remember which rank of priest wore purple. Was that cardinals? Bishops? And did the purple color mean he was the Roman version of Hercules rather than the Greek? His beard was fashionably scruffy, like my dad and his actor friends wore theirs—the sort of _I just happened not to shave for two days and I still look awesome_ look.

He was well built, but not too stock. His ebony hair was close cropped, Roman style. He had startling blue eyes like Jason's, but his skin was coppery, as if he'd spent his entire life on a tanning bed. The most surprising thing: he looked about twenty. Definitely no older. He was handsome in a rugged but not-at-a-caveman way.

He did in fact have a club, which lay in the sand next to him, but it was more like an oversized baseball bat—a five-foot-long polished cylinder of mahogany with a leather handgrip studded in bronze. Coach Hedge would have been jealous.

Jason and I landed at the edge of the surf. We approached slowly, careful not to make any threatening moves. Hercules watched us with no particular emotion, as if we were some form of seabirds he had never noticed before.

"Hello," I said. Always a good start.

"What's up?" Hercules said. His voice was deep but casual, very modern. He could've been greeting us in the high school locker room.

"Uh, not much." Okay, not such a great response there. "Well, actually, a lot. I'm Piper. This is Jason. We—"

"Where's your lion skin?" Jason interrupted.

I wanted to elbow him, but Hercules looked more amused than annoyed.

"It's ninety degrees out here," he said. "Why would I wear my lion skin? Do you wear a fur coat to the beach?"

"I guess that makes sense." Jason sounded disappointed. "It's just that the pictures always show you with a lion skin from the Nemean Lion."

Hercules glared at the sky accusingly, like he wanted a word with his father, Zeus. "Don't believe everything you hear about me."

"One of our friends said something like that before," I said.

"I would heed his advice then," Hercules said. "Being famous isn't as fun as you might think."

"Tell me about it," I sighed.

Hercules fixed those brilliant blue eyes on me. "Are you famous?"

"My dad… he's in the movies."

Hercules snarled. "Don't get me started with the movies. Gods of Olympus, they never get _anything_ right. Have you seen one movie about me where I look like me?"

I had to admit he had a point. "I'm surprised you're so young."

"Ha! Being immortal helps. But, yes, I wasn't so old when I died. Not by modern standards. I did a lot during my years as a hero… too much, really." His eyes drifted to Jason. "Son of Zeus, eh?"

"Jupiter," Jason said.

"Not much difference," Hercules grumbled. "Dad's annoying me in either form. Me? I was called Heracles. Then the Romans came along and named me Hercules. I didn't really change that much, though lately just thinking about it gives me splitting headaches…"

The left side of his face twitched. His robes shimmered, momentarily turning white, then back to purple.

"That might be because of the latest war between Greeks and Romans," I said.

Hercules didn't seem surprised about it. "Figures! I knew about father's attempts to keep the two camps separated, but even I could tell there was a flaw in it. Especially since Athena always send her kids to Rome for her quest. Every generation I had a child of Athena come here asking me for permission to go through here. As long as Athena has her grudge, the feud won't end."

I bit my lip in order not to bring up Annabeth.

"At any rate," Hercules said. "if you're Jupiter's son, you might understand the hardship of being one. It's a lot of pressure. Enough is never enough. Eventually it can make a guy snap. Even my own great-grandfather who was also a son of Zeus—Perseus—struggled with the responsibility."

I frowned. "Wait, I thought Perseus lived a happy life?"

Hercules stared at me with intense. "Perseus lived a full life, but I wouldn't call unwilling being sent to sea with his mother before he was even born, risking his own life to prevent his mother's marriage to a tyrant, and unknowingly killed the grandfather he never knew a full happy life."

Once again, Hercules had a point. Then I thought about Jason's sister Thalia—who was also a daughter of the Lord of the sky—and I started to wonder if she joined the hunters to escape the full responsibilities that comes from being a child of Zeus.

Hercules was still staring at me, and I felt like a thousand ants were crawling up my back. There was a mixture of sadness and darkness in his eyes that seemed not quite sane, and definitely not safe.

"As for you, my dear," Hercules said, "be careful. Sons of Zeus can be… well, never mind."

I wasn't sure what that meant. Suddenly I wanted to get as far from this god as possible, but I tried to maintain a calm, polite expression.

"So, Lord Hercules," I said. "we're on a quest. We'd like permission to pass the Mediterranean."

Hercules shrugged. "That's why I'm here. After I died, Dad made me the doorkeeper of Olympus. I said, _Great! Palace duty! Party all the time!_ What he didn't mention is that I'd be guarding the doors to the ancient lands, stuck on this island for the rest of eternity. Lots of fun."

He pointed at the pillars rising from the surf. "Stupid columns. Some people claim I created the whole Strait of Gibraltar by shoving mountains apart. Some people say the mountains _are_ the pillars. What a bunch of Augean manure. The pillars are _pillars_."

"Right," I said. "Naturally. So… can we pass?"

The god scratched his fashionable beard. "Well, I have to give you the standard warning about how dangerous the ancient lands are. Not just any demigod can survive the Mare Nostrum. Because of that, I have to give you a quest to complete. Prove your worth, blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I don't make a big deal of it. Usually, I give demigods something simple like a shopping trip, singing a funny song, or for children of Athena who comes for their mother's quest something a little mind challenging or something about architect since most of Athena's kids like that kind of stuff."

"Naturally," I said.

"Other than that, nothing too difficult. After all those labors I had to complete for my evil cousin Eurystheus, well… I don't want to be _that guy,_ you now?"

"Appreciate it," Jason said.

"Hey, no problem," Hercules sounded relaxed and easy going, but he still made me feel nervous. That dark glint in his eyes reminded me of charcoal soaked in kerosene, ready to go up at a moment notice.

I remember what Percy said about not bringing up Hera or Juno and now I'm starting to remind myself to do the same incase what they said about Hera making up what we read about Hercules and her making peace just to make herself look better is true.

"So anyway," Hercules said, "what's your quest?"

"Giants," Jason said as he started to explain about the prophecy of seven and Halcyon Green's prediction for one of our friends which tied to other predictions some of our other friends got and the test six out of seven of us did to prove ourselves as part of the prophecy and test Annabeth had waiting for her in Rome that could end the feud. All during this Jason manage to avoid bringing up Hera and Juno.

Hercules listen intently. His eyes seem to grow intense when Jason brought up Hal's prediction of seven greatest heroes of all time.

"I can see why the upcoming war against the giants could prove yourselves as mighty heroes. Back in my demigod days, most of my brethren who helped fought against the giants died. Only few like Dionysus and myself survived aiding in the war," Hercules said.

I remember the giant Porphyrion having weapons decorated in his hair that looked like he collected them from the heroes he killed.

"Since this quest of yours and your friends is to prove yourselves as great heroes, I decided to test you myself to see if you're worthy," Hercules said. "A difficult test, but if you truly are meant to be the greatest, you should be able to complete."

I found myself full of fear and concern what it could be.

I gulped, "What's the test?"

Hercules straightened up. "On the opposite side of this island, over those hills, you'll find a river. In the middle of the river lives the old gold Achelous."

Hercules waited, as if this information should send them running in terror.

"And…?" Jason asked

" _And_ ," Hercules said, "I want you to break off his other horn and bring it to me."

"He has horns," Jason said. "Wait… his _other_ horn? What—?"

"Here," Hercules interrupted, "This should help."

From under his robes, Hercules took a small book and tossed it to me. I barely caught it.

The book's glossy cover showed a photographic montage of Greek temples and smiling monsters. The Minotaur was giving the thumbs-up. The title read: _The Hercules Guide to the Mare Nostrum._

"Bring me that horn by sundown," Hercules said. "Just the two of you. No contacting your friends. Your ship will remain where it is. If you succeed, I may believe you could be as great heroes as I was as a demigod and let you pass, if you don't then as of others who failed you cannot cross. Then again if you fail, Achelous will kill you anyways."

"This doesn't seem a fair test," Jason said.

"Maybe so, but only demigods and gods can kill the giants, and if you're right about the war between Greeks and Romans, you'll be lacking gods," Hercules said, "So think of this as a taste of what you might have to face caused of it."

The way Hercules said it, it sounded like he blamed us for the war. I started to wonder if Hercules has figured out for himself that his mortal enemy Hera send us on this quest.

"I'd get going," Hercules said. "Sundown or no passage."


	27. Piper's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part VII**

 _The Hercules' Guide to the Mare Nostrum_ didn't help much with snakes and mosquitoes.

"If this is a magical island," I grumbled, "why couldn't it be a _nice_ magical island?"

We tromped up a hill and down into a heavily wooded valley, careful to avoid the black-and-red-striped snakes sunning themselves on the rocks. Mosquitoes swarmed over stagnant ponds in the lowest areas. The trees were mostly stunted olives cypress, and pines. The chirring of the cicadas and the oppressive heat reminded me of the rez in Oklahoma during the summer.

So far we haven't found any river.

"We could fly," Jason suggested for the fifth time.

"We might miss something," I said. "Besides, I'm not sure I want to drop in on an unfriendly god. What was his name? Etch-a-Sketch?"

"Achelous." Jason was trying to read this guidebook while we walk, so he kept running into trees and stumbling over rocks. "Says here he's a _potamus_. So he might not be affected by the war."

"How does being a Hippopotamus have to do with the war?"

" _Potamus_ —they're river gods. According to this, he's the spirit of some river in Greece. If so, the Romans probably didn't think he was important enough to change to go with their story of Hercules," Jason said.

"Great—so we can't count on him being in a schizophrenic state to be in our advantage," Piper said.

"Most likely," Jason said, "According to this book, Hercules fought him one time."

"Hercules fought ninety-nine percent of everything in Ancient Greece," I said.

"Yeah, but it explains why Hercules decided to use it as our quest," Jason said, "I mean he fought Achelous and the giants, so he must know what he's talking about when he said by us fighting Achelous we get a taste of what we're up against."

"Except the Giants are supposed to be stronger than the gods," I stated.

"True. Let's see if I can find anything else," Jason flipped a page. "Here's something on the Pillars of Hercules. It says this island has no hotels, no restaurants, no transportation. Attractions: Hercules and two pillars. Huh, this is interesting. Supposedly the dollar sign—you know, the S with the two lines through it?—that came from the Spanish coat of arms, which showed the Pillars of Hercules with a banner curling between them."

Great, I thought. Jason finally gets along with Annabeth, and her brainiac tendencies start rubbing off on him.

Then I remember that before Percy and Annabeth started dating they been best friends since they were seven and I started to wonder if that's why Percy seem to know so much about Greek stories—he hanged around Annabeth so long that she started rubbing off on him.

Which leads to a question on my mind: _What kind of affects does my friendship with Annabeth had on me?_

I quickly shook that question out of my mind. "Is there anything helpful in that book?"

"Let me see… oh, here's a tiny reference to Achelous," Jason said. _"This river god fought Hercules for the hand of the beautiful Deianira."_

"Deiarira?" I asked.

"I think she was Hercules's second wife—the one that poisoned him," Jason replied. "It says: _During the struggle, Hercules broke off one of the river god's horns which became the first cornucopia._ Huh, I never knew that."

"What's a Corn—ah?"

"Cornucopia. Mortals use them—well more like non-magical versions of it—as thanksgiving decorations, but the magical ones spill out any goodies you want. We have some in the mess hall at Camp Jupiter."

"And we're supposed to take his other one," I said. "I'm guessing that won't be easy. But wait, if Deianira was Hercules' second wife, who was his first and what happened to her?"

"Megara," Jason said. "The story goes that out of anger for Zeus' cheating on her, Hera made Hercules go crazy one night and kill his first wife and their children. It's the reason why Hercules did those twelve task—to redeem himself."

"Goddess made Hercules go crazy and kill his family and he pays for it," I said.

Jason shrugged. "Hera isn't exactly a fair goddess."

"True," I agreed.

We trudged across a ridge between two hills, trying to stay in the shade, but I was already soaked with perspiration. The mosquitoes left welts on my ankles, arms, and neck, so I probably looked like a smallpox victim.

I'd finally gotten some alone time with Jason, and _this_ was how we spent it. I don't blame Jason, and I guess I understand Hercules' reason for testing us, but ever sicne Camp Jupiter, I'd been carrying around a lot of worry and resentment.

I wondered what Hercules wanted to tell me about sons of Zeus. They couldn't be trusted They were under too much pressure? I tried to imagine Jason becoming a god when he died, standing on some beach guarding the gates to an ocean long after everyone he knew in his mortal life and me are dead.

I wondered if Hercules had ever been as positive as Jason—more upbeat, confident, quick to comfort. It was hard to picture.

As we hiked down into the next valley, I wondered what was happening back on the _Argo II_. She was tempted to send an Iris message, but Hercules had warned us not to contact our friends. I hoped Annabeth could guess what was going on and didn't try to send another party ashore. I wasn't sure what Hercules would do if they did. I imagine Coach Hedge getting impatient and aiming a ballista at the man in purple, or eidolons possessing the crew and forcing them to commit suicide-by-Hercules.

I shuddered. I didn't know what time it was, but the sun was already starting to sink. How had the day passed so quickly? I would have welcome sundown for the cooler temperatures, except it was also our deadline and also decrease the time we need to find Hazel's brother. A cool night breeze wouldn't mean much if it meant the destruction of Rome and the Death of Nico.

"Stop," Jason said.

I wasn't sure what was wrong until I realized I could hear running water up ahead. We crept through the trees and found ourselves on the bank of a river. It was maybe forty feet wide but only a few inches deep, a silver sheet of water racing over a smooth bed of stones. A few yards downstream, the rapids plunge into a dark blue swimming hole.

Something about the river bothered me. The cicadas in the trees had gone quiet. No birds were chirping. It was if the water was giving a lecture and would only allow its own voice.

But the more I listened, the more inviting the river seemed. I wanted to take a drink. Maybe I should take off my shoes. My feet could really use a soak. And that swimming hole… it would be so nice to jump in with Jason and relax in the shade of the trees, floating in the nice cool water. It would be romantic.

I shook these thoughts out of me. These weren't mine. Something was wrong. It almost felt like the river was charmspeaking.

Jason sat on a rock and started taking off his shoes. He grinned at the swimming hole like he couldn't wait to get in.

"Cut it out!" I yelled at the river.

Jason looked startled. "Cut what out?"

"Not you," I replied. "Him."

I felt silly pointing at the water, but I was getting this familiar feeling that I haven't felt since Jason Leo and I met Medea—that the river was working some sort of magic to sway our feelings like Medea did.

Now that I think about it, it did sound crazy. I mean, Medea was killed when her department store exploded with her in it.

But then the river spoke: _Forgive me. Singing is one of the few pleasures I have left._

A figure emerged from the swimming hole as if rising on an elevator.

My shoulder's tensed. It was the creature I'd seen in my knife's blade, the bull with the human's face. His skin was as blue as the water. His hooves levitated on the river's surface. At the top of his bovine neck was the head of a man with curly black hair, a beard done in ringlets Ancient Greek style, deep mournful eyes behind bifocal glasses, and a mouth that seemed set in a permanent pout. Spouting from the left side of his head was a single bull's horn—a curved black-and-white one like warriors might turn into drinking cups. The imbalance made his head tilt to the left, so that he looked like he was trying to get water out of his ear.

"Hello," he said sadly. "Come to kill me, I suppose."

Jason put his shoes back on and stood slowly. "Um, well—"

"No!" I intervene. "I'm sorry. This is embarrassing. We didn't want to bother you, but Hercules sent us!"

"Hercules!" The bull man sighed. His hooves pawed the water as if ready to charge. "To me, he'll always be Heracles. That's his Greek name, you know: _the glory of Hera."_

"Funny name considering a friend of ours told us not to bring up Hera's name to the god," Jason said.

"I would heed his warning then. Even on his good days Hercules don't like _anyone_ mentioning his step mother to him," Achelous said. "Perhaps that's why he didn't protest when the Romans renamed him Hercules. Of course, that's the name most people know him by… his _brand_ , if you will. Hercules is nothing if not image-conscious."

The bull-man spoke with bitterness but familiarity, as if Hercules was an old friend who had lost his way.

"You're Achelous?" I asked.

The bull-man bent his front legs and lowered his head in a bow, which I found both sweet and a little sad. "At your service. River god extraordinaire. Once the spirit of the mightiest river in Greece. Now sentenced to dwell here, on the opposite side of the island from my old enemy. Oh, the gods are cruel! But whether they put us so close together to punish me or Hercules, I have never been sure."

I wasn't sure what he meant, but the background noise of the river was invading my mind again—reminding me how hot and thirsty I felt, how pleasant a nice swim would be. I tried to focus.

"I'm Piper," I said. "This is Jason. We don't want to fight. It's just that Heracles—Hercules—whoever he is, got mad at us and sent us here."

I explained about our quest to the ancient lands to stop the giants from waking Gaea. I described how our team of Greeks and Romans came together, how we were predicted to be the greatest heroes of our generation if not of all time, and how Hercules send us out to prove ourselves.

Achelous kept tipping his head to the left, so I wasn't sure if he was dozing off or dealing with one-horn fatigue.

When I was done, Achelous regarded me as if I were developing a regrettable skin rash. "Ah, dear… the legends are true, you know. The spirits, the water cannibals. All immortal beings of different cultures coexist, sometimes even mix, even if many mortals aren't aware of it."

I tried to fight back a whimper. I hadn't told Achelous _anything_ about that.

Jason on other hand frowned. "Immortal beings of different cultures coexist? What do you mean? Aren't there only just Greek and Roman gods?"

"Sadly it's not in my place to tell you, but I can say as a river god, I know many things." Achelous turned back to me. "Alas, you are focusing on the wrong story, my dear. If you had made it to Rome, the story of the flood would have served you better."

"Piper?" Jason asked. "What's he talking about?"

My thoughts were suddenly as jumbled as kaleidoscope glass. _The story of the flood…_ If _you had made it to Rome._

"I—I'm not sure," I said, thought the mention of a flood story did rang a distant bell. "Achelous. I don't understand."

"No, you don't," the river god sympathized. "Poor thing. Another girl stuck with a son of Zeus."

"Wait a minute," Jason said. "It's Jupiter, actually. And how does that make her a _poor thing_?"

Achelous ignored him. "My girl, do you know the cause of my fight with Hercules?"

"It was over a woman," I recalled what Jason told me earlier. "Deianira?"

"Yes." Achelous heaved a sigh. "And do you know what happened to her?"

"Uh… She poisoned Hercules but other than that—" I turned to Jason who started flipping through his guide book. He looked up and shrugged which meant he didn't know.

Achelous snorted indignantly. "What is _that_?"

Jason blinked. "Just… _The Hercules Guide to Mare Nostrum_. He gave us the guidebook so—"

"That is _not_ a book," Achelous insisted. "He gave you that just to get under my skin, didn't he? He knows I hate those things."

"You hate… books?" I asked.

"That's _not_ a book." Achelous' face flushed, turning his blue skin eggplant purple.

He pawed the water. A scroll shot from the river like a miniature rocket and landed in front of him. He nudged it open with his hooves. The weathered yellow parchment unfurled, covered with faded Latin script and elaborate hand-drawn pictures.

" _This_ is a book!" Achelous said. "Oh, the smell of sheepskin! The elegant feel of the scroll unrolling beneath my hooves. You simply can't duplicate it something like _that_."

He nodded indignantly at the guidebook in Jason's hand. "You young folks today and your newfangled gadgets. Bound pages. Little compact squares of text that are not hoof-friendly. But it's not a traditional book. It'll never replace the good old fashioned scroll!"

"Um, I'll just put this away now." Jason slipped the guide book in his back pocket the way he might holster a dangerous weapon.

Achelous seemed to calm down a little, which was a relief to me. I didn't need to get run over by one-horned bull with a scroll obsession.

"Now," Achelous said, tapping a picture on his scroll, "This is Deianira."

I knelt down to look. The hand-painted portrait was small, but I could tell the woman had been very beautiful, with long dark hair, dark eyes, and a playful smile that probably drove guys crazy.

"Princess of Calydon," the river god said mournfully. "She was promised to me, until Hercules butted in. The old stories would say we agreed to fight for her hand in marriage, but what really happened was that was that I didn't want to fight. The spirit of the Styx is a brethren of mine and like him, I take promises seriously, but Hercules insisted on combat."

"And he broke off your horn?" I guessed.

"Yes," Achelous said. "I could never forgive him for that. Horribly uncomfortable, having only one horn. But the situation was worse for poor Deianira. She could have had a long, happy life married to me."

"A man-headed bull," I said, "who lives in a river."

"Exactly," Achelous agreed. "It seems impossible she would refuse, eh? Instead, she went off with Hercules. She picked the handsome, flashy hero over the good, faithful husband who would have treated her well. What happened next? Well, she should have known. Hercules was much too wrapped up in his own problems to be a good husband. He already murdered one wife, you know. Hera cursed him, so he flew into a rage and killed his entire family. Horrible business. That's why he had to do those twelve labors as a penance. Then there was that issue with one of the Hesperides Zoë. Hercules would tell you he planned to return the favor, but if he did the poor girl wouldn't have been disowned and left out on her own until Artemis found her."

"How did you know that?" I asked. "I didn't even know about it until our friend Percy told us."

"I have my sources," Achelous replied as he glanced at Jason distrustfully. "At any rate, my poor Deianira had a tragic end. She became jealous of Hercules' many affairs. He gallivanted all over the world, you see, just like his father Zeus, flirting with every woman he met. Finally, Deianira got so desperate she listened to bad advice. A crafty centaur name Nessus told her that if she wanted Hercules to be faithful forever, she should spread some centaur's blood on the inside of Hercules' favorite shirt. Unfortunately, Nessus was lying because he wanted revenge on Hercules. Deianira followed his instructions, but instead of making Hercules a faithful husband—"

"Centaur blood is like acid," Jason said.

"Yes," Achelous sad. "Hercules died a painful death. When Deianira realized what she'd done, she…" The river god drew a line across his neck.

"That's awful," I said.

"And the moral, my dear?" Achelous said. "Beware the sons of Zeus."

I couldn't look at my boyfriend. I wasn't sure I could mask the uneasiness in my eyes. Jason would never be like Hercules. Silena said the feelings I had from the visions were true, but they were only possible because Hera intervene.

That's when a thought occurred to me, Hellen of Troy was a daughter of Zeus, Thalia is a daughter of Zeus…

"What about daughters of Zeus?" I asked.

Achelous looked at me confused. "Daughters of Zeus?"

"Jason has a sister name Thalia—a daughter of Zeus—who joined the Hunters of Artemis," I said.

Achelous had a thoughtful expression. "True, Zeus had both mortal and immortal daughters. But I haven't encounter one myself to give my opinion, I would imagine children of Zeus aren't much different from one another…"

"But Thalia joined the Hunters," Jason said. "Too ensure their help in the Second Titan War. You're judging all children of Zeus and Jupiter based off of what happened with Hercules, but you said it yourself, you haven't met all of them. How do you know we're all the same?"

"Hercules is a god now," Achelous said. "He married Hebe, the youth goddess, but still is rarely at home. He dwells here on this island guarding those silly pillars nursing his bitterness and mourning his mortal life. And his presence reminds me of poor Deianira, who could have been my life."

"But that was still from one child of Zeus," I said.

The bull-man taped the scroll, which rolled itself up and sank into the water.

"It doesn't matter. Hercules wants my other horn in order to humiliate me," Achelous said. "Perhaps it would make him feel better about himself, knowing that I'm miserable too. Besides, the horn would become a cornucopia. Good food and drink would flow from it, just as my power causes the river to flow. No doubt Hercules would keep the cornucopia for himself. It would be a tragedy and a waste."

I suspected the noise of the river and the drowsy sound of Achelous' voice were still affecting my thoughts, but despite every fiber of my being want to argue against Achelous, I couldn't help but agree with the river god. I was starting to hate Hercules. This poor bull-man seemed so sad and lonely."

Jason stirred. "I'm sorry, Achelous. Honestly, you've gotten a bum deal. But maybe… well, without the other horn, you might not be so lopsided. It might feel better."

"Jason!" I protested.

Jason held up his hands. "Just a thought. Besides, I don't see that we have many choices. If Hercules doesn't get that horn, we can't save Nico or Rome and Annabeth can't complete her quest to end the feud between our camps."

"He's right," Achelous said. "You have no choice. Which is why I hope you'll forgive me."

I frowned. The river god sounded so heartbroken I wanted to pat his head. "Forgive you for what?"

"I have no choice either," Achelous said. "I have to stop you."

The river exploded, and a wall of water crashed over me.


	28. Piper's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part VIII**

From the moment the current grabbed me like a fist and pull me into the deep, I wondered if this was what Octavian and his goons felt when Percy used the sea to pull them into it. The only difference is that Percy wasn't out to kill the Romans, but Achelous was out to kill us.

Struggling ended up useless. I clamped my mouth shut, forcing myself not to inhale, but I could barely keep from panicking. I couldn't see anything but a torrent of bubbles. I could only hear my own thrashing and the dull roar of the rapids.

I was ready accept my death when suddenly I was thrust to the surface and found myself at the center of a whirlpool, able to breathe but un able to break free.

A few yards away, Jason broke the surface and gasped, his sword in one hand. He swung wildly but there was nothing to attack.

Twenty feet to my right, Achelous rose from the water. "I'm sorry about this," he said.

Jason lunged toward him, summoning the winds to lift him out of the river, but Achelous was quicker and more powerful. A curl of water slammed into Jason and sent him under once more.

"Stop it!" I screamed pouring all my might and power into my charmspeak. It wasn't easy when I was floundering in a whirlpool, but I got Achelous' attention.

"I'm afraid I can't stop," said the river god. "I can't let Hercules have my other horn. It would be mortifying."

"There's another way!" I said. "You don't have to kill us!"

Jason clawed his way to the surface again. A miniature storm cloud formed over his head. Thunder boomed.

"None of that, son of Jupiter," Achelous chided. "If you call lightning, you'll just electrocute your girlfriend."

The water pulled Jason under again.

"Let him go!" I mustered as much persuasion as I could. I remembered what Jason said about Achelous not being affected by the war. Maybe it was the same for the Styx River. "I swear on the River of Styx I won't let Hercules get the horn!"

Achelous hesitated as the sky boomed. He then cantered over to me, his head tilting to the left. "An oath of the river of styx is a dangerous oath, are you sure you want to make that oath?"

"I do!" I promised. "But, please let my boyfriend go!"

The water churned where Jason had gone under. I wanted to scream. How much longer could he hold his breath?

"Why would you do so much for a son of Zeus?" Achelous asked.

"Because Jason isn't like Hercules and neither is Thalia," I responded. "You keep thinking all children of Zeus are the same, but they're not."

Achelous seemed hesitant as he lowered his head toward me into my grabbing range. And I used that to my advantage.

I'd never ridden a bull before, but I'd practiced bareback pegasus riding at Camp Half-Blood, and I remembered what to do. I wrapped my arms around his neck and quickly used my own momentum to swing myself on his back. I locked my ankles around his neck, wrapped one arm around his throat, and drew my knife with the other. I pressed the blade under the river god's chin.

"Let—Jason—go." I put all my force into the command. "Now!"

Fortunately, my plan worked because Jason shot out of the water like a human cannonball. He broke through the branches of an olive tree and tumbled onto the grass. That couldn't have felt good, but he struggled to his feet, gasping and coughing. He raised his sword, and the dark clouds thickened over the river.

I shot him a warning look: _Not yet._ I still had to get out of the river without drowning or getting electrocuted.

Achelous gotten over his daze and shock and arched his back. I pressed my knife harder against his throat.

"Be a good bull," I warned.

"You promised," Achelous said through gritted teeth. "You promised Hercules won't get my horn."

"And he won't," I said, "But I will."

I raised my knife and slashed off the god's horn. The Celestial bronze cut through the base like it was wet clay. Achelous bellowed in rage. Before he could recover, I stood up on his back. With the horn in one hand and my dagger in the other, I leaped for the shore.

"Jason!" I yelled.

Thank the gods, he understood. A gust of wind caught me and carried me safely over the bank. I hit the ground rolling as the hairs on my neck stood up. A smell filled the air. I turned toward the river in time to be blinded.

 _BOOM!_ Lightning stirred the water into a boiling cauldron, steaming and hissing with electricity. I blinked the yellow spots out of my eyes as the god Achelous wailed and dissolved beneath the surface. His horrified expression seemed to be asking: _How could you?_

I doubt Achelous was killed by that considering he's an immortal River God—probably just dissolved into the river to nurse his wounds. But I wasn't going to take any chance.

"Jason, run!" I yelled.

Jason nodded as we crash through the woods.

As I climbed the hill, clasping the bull's horn to my chest, I realized I was sobbing—though I wasn't sure if it was from fear, or relief, or shame for tricking the old river god.

…

We didn't slow down until we reached the crest of the hill.

I felt silly, but I kept breaking down and crying as I told Jason what had happened while he was struggling underwater.

"Piper, you had no choice." He put his hand on my shoulder. "You saved my life."

I wiped my eyes and tried to control myself. The sun was nearing the horizon. If we are to make it to Rome, we need to reach Hercules _now_.

"Achelous forced your hand," Jason continued. "Even if it meant about lying about not giving it to Hercules—"

"Jason, I wasn't lying," I said. "I swore on the Styx that I wouldn't. It was the only way I could think of to get his guard down to save you."

"Piper, that was dangerous," Jason said.

"I know, but if Achelous was right about Hercules, then Hercules don't deserve this horn," I replied.

"Hercules might try to kill us for that," Jason said.

"I have a plan for that." I told Jason of my plan. I must have been emotional enough to subconsciously used my charmspeaking ability, because Jason's eyes glazed over as I talked.

"Whatever you say," he promised. Then he blinked a few times. "We might die, but I'm in."

…

Hercules was waiting right where we'd left him. He was staring at the _Argo II_ , docked between the pillars as the sun set behind it. Hercules must have been watching it for a while because he had a scowling look that said: _These are the next generation of great heroes?_

I don't know what Hercules might of saw to cause Hercules to have that kind of look, but I didn't question it. Other than that the ship looked okay, but if my plan don't work, that might change things.

It was too late for me to reconsider, though. I'd already sent an Iris-message to Leo (when he was in the engine room thank gods). Jason was prepared. And, seeing Hercules again, I felt more certain than ever that I couldn't give him what he wanted.

Hercules didn't exactly brighten when he saw me carrying the bull's horn, but his scowl lines lessened.

"Good," he said, "You got it. In that case, you are free to go."

I glanced at Jason. "You heard him. He gave us permission." I turned back to the god. "That means our ship will be able to pass the Mediterranean?"

"Yes, yes," Hercules agreed.

"You swear on the River of Styx," I said.

"Unnecessary, but yes," Hercules said as the sky boomed. "Now, the horn."

"No," I said.

The god frowned. "Excuse me?"

I raised the cornucopia. Since I cut it from Achelous' head, the horn hollowed out, becoming smooth and dark on the inside. It didn't appear magical, but I was counting on it's power."

"Achelous told us somethings you left out in your story," I said. "Such as you're being _his_ curse as much as yours. And from what I heard, you're a sorry excuse for a hero."

Hercules stared at me as if I was speaking French (which was possible since my mother created the language). "You realize I could kill you with a flick of my finger," he said. "I could throw my club at your ship and cut straight through its hull. I could—"

"You could shut up," Jason said. He drew his sword. "I wouldn't put up with any brother who acts like you."

The veins on Hercules' neck turned as purple as is robes. "You would not be the first demigod I've killed."

"Jason is better than you. In fact, we're all better than you—including our friends on our ship," I said. "The seven of us are destined to be greater heroes than you ever were? If you can't accept that, you don't deserve this prize. I'm going to keep it, to remind me what _not_ to be like as a demigod, and to remind me of poor Zo **ë** Achelous and Deianira."

That must of finally snapped whatever was keeping Hercules sane. "Do _not_ mention that name! You can't seriously think I'm worried about your puny boyfriend or any of your friends. No one is stronger than me."

"I didn't say stronger," I corrected. "I said we're better. Because even without the gods—we are good people have wisdom, forge, sea, underworld, war, sky, and love on our side. And that's what will make us the greatest and why Hera send us on this quest!"

As I said that I pointed the mouth of the horn at Hercules—who's eyes turned to pure rage and confusion—and I poured every bit of resentment, doubt, and anger I'd been harboring since Camp Jupiter along with all the good things I'd shared with Jason, and the future of no giants and Gaea sleeping and most importantly no feud between the Greeks and Romans.

The horn blasted forth a flood of food as powerful as Achelous' river. A torrent of fresh fruit, baked goods, and smoked ham completely buried Hercules. I didn't understand how all that stuff fit through the entrance of the horn, but I thought hams were especially appropriate.

When it had spewed out enough goodies to fill a house, the horn shut itself off. I heard Hercules shrieking and struggling somewhere underneath. Apparently even the strongest god in the world could be caught off guard when buried under fresh produce.

"Go!" I told Jason, who'd forgotten his part of the plan and was staring in amazement at the fruit pile. "Go!"

Jason grabbed my waist and summoned the wind. We shot away from the island so quickly, I almost got whiplash.

Jason and I touched down on the _Argo II_. Thankfully, Leo done his part. The ship's oars were already in aerial mode. The anchor was up. Jason summoned a gale so strong it pushed them into the sky, while Percy sent a ten-foot-tall wave against the shore, knocking Hercules down a second time just as his head poked out of the pile—wearing a coconut like a helmet.

By the time the god regained his feet and started lobbing coconuts at them from far below, the _Argo II_ was already sailing through the clouds above the Mediterranean.


	29. Percy's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part V**

I wish I can say I still have respect for Hercules, but I long lost it when I found out Hercules betrayed Zoë Nightshade's trust the night she gave up everything to help him get the golden apple.

Still it annoyed me even more to find out that the greatest hero ever known turned out to also be one of the greatest jerks ever known. Not only did it seem that Hercules used Zoë but others as well. It's children of Zeus like Hercules Minos and Tantalus that gives the rest of the children of Zeus a bad name.

It's no wonder Dionysus thought so lowly about heroes. Sure Dionysus isn't exactly the greatest demigod turned god himself, but at least he didn't have a record like Hercules.

Even without the story, I haven't been in a good mood lately. Being ADHD standing around doing nothing doesn't do me any good. It didn't help that Annabeth locked herself in her cabin (not really but she might as well have) to study the map she got.

I learned long ago that once Annabeth set her mind on something, it is hard to get her away from it. Two years ago, Annabeth got a laptop from her hero and half-brother Daedalus and would spend her free time on it. She would of spend the whole summer on it if Chiron didn't send her siblings and at times me out to get her for her training.

Then after the war, before Zeus closed the doors to Olympus and Hera kidnapped me, when we weren't on a date or at school Annabeth was at Olympus leading the reconstruction of Olympus as Mount Olympus' architect.

Whenever Annabeth gets so deadest on anything, you wouldn't think she was ADHD, but in reality she was. She just had a system of keeping her working area clean so she can concentrate, and the only time she breaks it is when she finds too many projects she wanted to study.

Still, being a good boyfriend, I did check up on her once in a while, making sure she was okay and if she needed anything. Of course when I ask, Annabeth answer with an unrelated answer while on her laptop—probably to study something that might be of use, so I can't be sure of anything.

There was times I was tempted to Iris-Message Thalia and see if she had any ideas to get Annabeth away from the map or her laptop since Thalia knows Annabeth as well as I do, but I decided not to since Thalia is probably busy with the hunters. Especially now that the war between the Greeks and Romans most likely made it impossible for Artemis to tend to her hunters.

There was another reason I wanted to contact Thalia, and it involved Hylla and the Amazons. I remember hearing from them that they were allies with the Hunters, and since Gaea's first plan of having Otera take over the Amazons for her failed, I wouldn't be surprise if Gaea has some kind of new plan to make sure that neither the Amazons and the Hunters try anything to interfere with anymore of her plans.

I would have contacted them after we got out of Hercules' throwing range with coconuts, but the moment we entered the Mediterranean, we had our own problems.

Several times an hour, something attacked the ship. Fortunately they were monsters either Jason or I fought before, so we didn't have much problems.

For example, the first attack was flock of flesh-eating Stymphalian birds like the ones that attacked Camp Half-Blood during a chariot race four years ago (long story), swooped out of the night sky. I summoned my shield and started hitting it with the butt of my sword in order to create a loud banging noise while yelling at the man-eating birds which disrupted them long enough for Festus to torched them.

I had to explain to those that was below deck what all the ruckus was about. Thankfully those who knew of the twelve task of Hercules didn't argue against my method.

The second attack was some storm spirits that were swarming the mast, Jason blasted them away with lightning.

The most unusual attack was when Coach Hedge was having dinner on the foredeck, and a wild pegasus appeared out of nowhere, stampeded over the coach's enchiladas, and flew off again, leaving cheesy hoof prints all across the deck. The unusual part was that the Pegasus didn't seem to mind the rest of us. It just destroyed Coach Hedge's food as if it was in its way and flew off.

"What was _that_ for?" the coach demanded.

The sight of the pegasus made me wish Blackjack was here. I haven't seen my friend in days. Tempest and Arion also hadn't shown themselves, which I found odd—at least I found it odd with Arion. I would think the immortal horse who could break the sound barrier to travel to Alaska to follow Hazel fight against the giants wouldn't fear the Mediterranean. Then again, Arion probably won't show up until Hazel needed him most, and right now I don't think we're in that situation yet.

Finally, around midnight, after the ninth or tenth aerial attack, Jason turned to me. "How about you get some sleep I'll keep blasting stuff out of the sky as long as I can. Then we can go by sea for a while, and you can take point."

I didn't argue and headed down bellow. I checked on Annabeth to find that she had fallen asleep at her laptop. I snuck in just to put a blanket over her so she wouldn't get cold, kiss her goodnight, and headed to my own cabin before anyone notice (mostly coach Hedge) and crashed into my own bunk.

…

I wish I could say my dream visions were good or better yet I didn't have any, but of course that wasn't the case.

The first one wasn't too bad. In fact, it came with some news.

I was in a warehouse with warrior women dressed in black jumpsuits. I knew right away the women were the Amazonian warriors, but I also noticed that the warehouse wasn't their main HQ. Instead I would guess it was one of their other bases for the business of world domination.

Sitting in a throne of books and other crates was Hylla, who seemed to be waiting for something until Kinzie came in.

"Queen Hylla, they're here!" Kinzie said.

"Bring them in and give their fellow sisters anything they want," Hylla ordered.

"Yes ma'am."

At first I thought they were talking about the Romans coming to ask for their aid against the Greeks, but to my surprise that wasn't the case.

Instead, two girls came in wearing silver parkas with a bow and quiver strapped to their back.

One looked a year or two younger than me with wildly black hair with a princess tiara on top, electric blue eyes, and freckles across her nose. The other was at east three years younger with olive skin, with black silky hair and dark eyes.

My eyes widened as I recognized the two immediately—Thalia Grace: daughter of Zeus and Jason's big sister, and Bianca di Angelo: daughter of Hades and Nico's and Hazel's sister (even though Hazel and Bianca haven't met yet.

"Thalia, daughter of Zeus and First Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis and Bianca di Angelo: Daughter of Hades and second lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, I welcome you," Hylla greeted as if she was talking to two old friends.

If I needed any more proof that the Hunters and Amazons were allies, I guess this would be it.

"It's our honor to meet you, Queen Hylla," Thalia greeted with a bow, "I take it from your request for this meeting that you heard of the new Civil War."

"Yes. I got word from my sister in Charleston of it of their recent change of plans and request for assistance in _delaying_ her own army," Hylla said.

Thalia frowned. "Your sister?"

"Reyna," Hylla said. "She's the praetor of the Roman Camp along with—I was told—your long lost brother Jason."

"And she asked you to help delay her own invasion?" Bianca asked. "If you don't mind me asking, but that sounds strange."

"I agree, especially since she asked me to send some of my Greek forces to do so," Hylla said. "I think she might have made some kind of deal with Percy Jackson and the others."

Thalia's and Bianca's eyes widened.

"You know Percy?" Thalia asked.

"We met a few times. One of which was when he destroyed my old home on Circe's island before saving my sister and my life," Hylla said.

"Sounds like Percy," Thalia grumbled.

I want to argue that it wasn't my fault Circe turned one of the worse pirates led by the son of Ares into guinea pigs and locked them up and didn't tell me when she turned me into one.

But then Hylla said, "I also met your sister, Bianca—Hazel Levesque: a child of Pluto."

Bianca looked up. "A sister? I didn't know I had any other siblings other than the Hunters and my brother."

"Yes, well, from what I understand, Hazel is more of the peaceful returnees than the returnees that is working for Gaea," Hylla said.

Bianca's eyes widened in shock on confusion. Not that I blame her. Even for a hunter under normal circumstances to find out you have a sister you never met and then find out she was one of the spirits of the underworld that came back to life would be shocking. I just hope Hylla can convince Bianca that Hazel is a good person.

"I'll explain later," Hylla said. "but right now we have more crucial things to discuss about. I got word from my worldly sources that the Hunter was revived and has joined Gaea in revenge against Artemis."

"We heard too," Bianca grumbled.

"Bianca been keeping updates with what been going on in the Underworld since the Doors of Death been opened," Thalia explained.

"I wasn't informed of everything, apparently," Bianca responded.

"Then you must understand why I call the hunters here," Hylla said ignoring what Bianca just said, "If the rumors are true, there is a chance that if the Hunter can't find Lady Artemis at her safe spot, he'll come after her followers— _all_ of her followers."

"You're requesting for the Amazons and Hunters to stand together," Thalia said.

Hylla said. "The Amazons and the Hunters have done it before in times of great need, and I believe now is such a moment."

Thalia smiled. "I agree. But we'll need better hideouts than the Amazon buildings. No offense, but I doubt hiding in the shipping company named after yourselves will fool our common enemy."

"None taken and I have one place in mind to hide for just that," Hylla said. "In fact, I have some of my warriors over at there seeing if it was still possible for us to use."

I didn't know what place they were talking about, but I was relief to hear that at least the Hunters and Amazons have made alliance. I was also glad to hear that Reyna kept her promise to Annabeth. But I also know that it Thalia was working with Hylla then it would be impossible for the Hunters to come to the Camp's aid—not directly at least. But who was this _Hunter_ they were talking about?

Before I could find out anything else, my dream shifted to a different scene. I don't know if it's because I was about to find out something I'm not supposed to know or if I'm not even supposed to be here at all.

Now I was in a dark cavern. I could only see a few feet in front of me, but the space must have been vast. Water dripped from somewhere nearby, and the sound echoed off distant walls. The way the air moved made me suspect the cave's ceiling was far, far above.

In a way, the cavern reminded me of the entrance to Tartarus from the Underworld. I seen it many times in previous dream versions before the Titan War when Kronos (before he took possession of Luke's body in order to try and finish up his reforming chopped up body) was trying to manipulate me to betray Olympus, and I even been there once when a pair of flying shoes tried to carry Grover off to Tartarus (long story). Only this place wasn't half as creepy and didn't seem haunted. And yet I still felt a familiar sense of danger I got from Tartarus as well.

I heard heavy footsteps, and the twin giants Ephialtes and Otis shuffled out of the gloom. I could distinguish them only by their hair—Ephiales had the green locks braided with silver and gold coins; Otis had the purple ponytail braided with what look like firecrackers. I don't even want to know what that was about.

Otherwise, they were dressed identically, and all I have to say is that from the way they're dressed, I don't think I'm going to look at any Giants the same way again. They wore matching white slacks and gold buccaneer shirts with V-necks that showed way too much chest hair. A dozen sheathed daggers lined their rhinestone belts. If I had to guess, they were dressed like those knife throwers that does street performance for money. Their shoes were open-toed sandals, proving that—yes, indeed—the had snakes for feet. The straps wrapped around the serpents' necks—probably custom made for the Giants. The snake's heads curled up where the toes should be. The snakes flicked their tongues excitedly and turned their gold eyes in every direction, like dogs looking out the window of a car. Maybe it had been a long time since they'd ad shoes with view.

The giants stood in front of me, but they paid me no attention. Instead, they gazed up into the darkness.

That's the good thing about dream visions is that unless the monsters or sometimes immortal or demigod beings summoned you in your dreams, you can be invisible to them.

"We're here," Ephialtes announced. Despite his booming voice, his words dissipated in the cavern, echoing until they sounded small and insignificant.

Far above, something answered, "Yes. I can see that. Those outfits are hard to miss."

The voice made my stomach drop about six inches. It sounded vaguely female, but not at all human. Each word was a garbled hiss in multiple tones as if a swarm of African bees had learned to speak English in unison.

It wasn't Gaea. I was sure of that. And it wasn't any monster I countered before. But whatever it was, the twin giants became nervous. They shifted on their snakes and bobbed their heads respectfully.

"Of course, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes said. "We bring news of—"

"Why are you dressed like that?" asked the thing in the dark. She didn't seem to be coming closer, which I'm mostly prefer but a part of me want to find out who this mystery being is.

Ephialtes shot his brother an irritated look. "My brother was supposed to wear something different. Unfortunately—"

"You said _I_ was the knife thrower today," Otis protested.

"I said _I_ was the knife thrower! You're supposed to be the magician!" Ephialtes argued.

Honestly, I wish they both did a Magician look. It can't be any worse than their knife throwing costume.

"Ah, forgive me, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes apologized. "You don't want to hear us arguing. We came as you requested, to bring you news. The ship is approaching."

Her Ladyship, whatever she was, made a series of violent hisses like a tire being slashed repeatedly. It took me a moment to realize that was her laughing.

"How long?" she asked.

"They should land in Rome shortly after daybreak, I think," Ephialtes said. "Of course, they'll have to get past the golden boy."

He sneered, as if the _golden boy_ was not his favorite person. But to me it sounded like a familiar nickname I heard of before.

"I hope they arrive safely," Her Ladyship said. "It would spoil our fun to have them captured too soon. Are your preparations made?"

"Yes, Your Ladyship." Otis stepped forward, and the cavern trembled. A crack appeared under Otis' left snake.

"Careful, you dolt!" Her Ladyship snarled. "Do you want to return to your father the hard way?"

Otis scrambled back, his face slacked with terror. I realized that the floor, which looked like solid stone, was more like the glacier I'd walked on in Alaska—in some places solid, in other places… not so much. I was glad in my dreams I'm weightless.

"There is little left holding this place together," Her Ladyship cautioned. "Except, of course, my own skill. Centuries of Athena's rage can only be contained so well, and the great Earth Mother churns bellow us in her sleep. Between those two forces, well… my nest has quite eroded. We must hope this child of Athena proves to be a worthy victim. She may be my last plaything."

I didn't like what that voice might have meant when she said _plaything_ , and what's worse, I know she's talking about Annabeth. My fatal flaw of Personal Loyalty started kicking in as I started to worry about my girlfriend's safety in her test—and I don't even know who this voice was.

"I will miss the sweetness of my revenge," the voice continued. "We have worked well together over the centuries, have we not?"

The twins bow. The coins glittered in Ephialtes' hair, and I realized with nauseating certaintly that some of them were the Mark of Athenas given to Athena's children every generation that failed.

I may of not know these children of Athena, but I thought back to all the campers of cabin six who over time accepted me despite being the son of their mother's rival. I picture Annabeth standing here alone as Ephialtes take her coin and added it to her collection.

The thoughts made my hand shake with anger. I wanted to draw my sword and give the giant a haircut starting at the neck, but unfortunately I was powerless to act in a dream vision. I wanted to make the giant regret for any part he had in killing every child of Athena that came to get the statue. Sadly, all I could do was watch.

"Leave me now," Her Ladyship grumbled. "Tend to your preparations. You will have your spectacle. And I… I will work in darkness."

The dream dissolved, and I woke with a start. My hands were still shaking with anger.

That's when I heard someone knocking, and looked up to see it was Jason at the doorway.

"We've set down in the water. It's your turn," Jason said, looking utterly exhausted but concern. "What's wrong with you?"

I remembered the first vision with the Hunters and Amazons. I know I need to tell Annabeth about the second vision, but Jason and Hazel deserve to know about what is going on with Bianca and Thalia too.

"I'll tell you in the morning," I promised. "Go ahead and get some rest bro, you deserve it."

Jason nodded and left.

…

I didn't want to wake up Annabeth, but I want to get the second vision cleared with her before I tell anyone about my dream vision. Besides, I know Leo was still awake, and I won't be surprise if Coach Hedge tried to get any information out of him to make sure we're not doing anything against the rules other than breaking curfew.

Speaking of Leo, the guy have been shattered, but he refuse to sleep. After the Skolopendra accident, he refused to let anything get an advantage over us. I don't blame him for forgetting to switch the radar to sonar. If I was in his shoes, I would of forgot to do that myself. That's the problem with the Attention Deficient part of ADHD. It allows us notice things that most mortals don't pay attention too—such as any signs of mystical stuff being covered by the Mist and the Hyperactive behavior was our battle reflexes, but there are still some down sides to having ADHD.

So other than Leo, Annabeth and I were on the deck of the ship at about four in the morning. The weather was miserable. The fog was so thick, I couldn't see Festus at the end of the prow, and warm drizzle hung in the air like a bead curtain. As they sailed into twenty-foot swells, the sea heaving underneath us, I could hear poor Hazel down in her cabin… also heaving.

Despite all that, I was grateful to be back on the water. I'm grateful neither Zeus or Jupiter blasted us out of the sky—probably because of Jason—but the only flying I prefer is on a pegasus.

I stood with Annabeth at the forward rail while I told her about my dream—including the one of the Hunters and Amazons—mostly to see if Annabeth could help me figure out who this mystery _Hunter_ is. We came up with a few theories—none of them are good.

Too be honest, I found myself glad that the Amazons and Hunters were working together against the real enemy instead of helping the two camps destroy each other, and Annabeth seemed relieved that Reyna found a way to keep her promise to delay the Romans.

However, the calmness seemed to broke when I brought up the second vision. The disturbing part was that Annabeth wasn't surprised at all by it.

She peered into the fog. "Percy, you can tell Jason Hazel and the others what you found out about the Hunters and Amazons if you want, but please—promise me you won't tell them about the other vision."

"It has something to do with the Mark of Athena, doesn't it?" I asked.

Annabeth didn't replied but she looked pale.

"Annabeth, you don't have to keep everything from everyone," I responded. "Especially since there's a chance the rest of us will have to fight the twin giants to free Nico."

"I know, but if I tell them it'll make it harder for me to go off on my own," Annabeth said.

I wanted to be angry. I really do. But I didn't know who to be angry at. None of this seemed fair.

"You know what's in that cavern," I guessed before it clicks in my mind—spiders, creepy voice, talented friend, only one name came to mind. "It's—"

Annabeth covered my mouth before I could have shouted the name. "Please Percy, don't say her name."

I nodded. With all the excitement I almost forgot that no matter how many times we use the names of monsters and powerful beings in this quest, their names still have powers and there is still a chance of consequences for demigods risking blurting out those names.

"But Annabeth, if it is—you-know-who—this test could be really dangerous," I said. "You would have to do one of the hardest thing any child of Athena would have to do."

"I know," Annabeth replied. "Percy, please, let's not talk about it anymore."

I reluctantly nodded but I really don't know what to do at this point.

I stared into the fog. I couldn't see anything around us, but I still had my perfect bearings at sea. I knew our exact Latitude and Longitude. I knew the depth of the ocean and which way the currents were flowing. I knew the ship's speed, and could see no rocks, sandbars, or other natural dangers in our path. Still, this fog blinding me was unsettling.

We hadn't been attacked since we touched the water, but the sea seemed different. I had been in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Sea of Monsters, and even the Gulf of Alaska, but this sea felt more ancient and powerful. I could sense its layers swirling below me. I can honestly understand how this sea use to be the Sea of Monsters, which makes me glad there's only one Charybdis and Scylla, and both moved to the Bermuda Triangle along with the Sea of Monsters during the Western Civilization movement. But still, I could sense other monsters down below in the sea—possibly waiting to get some fresh demigod meat.

"We're not far from the Italian coast," I said, mostly to break the silence. "Maybe a hundred nautical miles to the mouth of the Tiber. If I remember correctly from the story of Romulus and Remus, that river should lead into Rome."

"Good," Annabeth said. "By daybreak, we should—"

"Stop." My skin felt washed with ice. "We have to stop."

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

"Leo, stop!" I yelled.

But it was too late. The other boat had already appeared out of the fog and rammed us head-on. In that split second, I registered random details: another trireme; black sails painted with a gorgon's head; hulking warriors, not quite human, crowded at the front of the boat in Greek armor, swords and spears ready; and a bronze ram at water level, slamming against the hull of the _Argo II_.

Annabeth and I were almost thrown overboard when the ship rammed into us.

Festus blew fire, sending a dozen very surprised warriors screaming and diving into the sea, but more swarmed aboard the _Argo II_. Grappling lines wrapped around the rails and the mast, digging iron claws into the hull's planks.

By the time I had recovered my wits, the enemy was everywhere. I couldn't see very well through the fog and the dark, but the invaders seemed to be half-dolphins-half-humans. Some had gray snouts. Others held their swords in stunted flippers. Some waddled on legs partially fused together, while others had flippers for feet.

Leo sounded the alarm bell. He made a dash for the nearest ballista but went down under a pile of chattering dolphin warriors.

Annabeth and I stood back-to-back, as we'd done thousands of times in the past nine years we been campers of Camp Half-Blood, with our weapons drawn. I tried to summon the waves, hoping I could push the ships apart, or even capsize the enemy vessel, but instead I felt someone wrestling me for control of the sea.

I raised Riptide, ready to fight, but we were hopelessly outnumbered. Several dozen warriors lowered their spears and made a ring around us, wisely keeping out of striking distance of my sword. The dolphin-men opened their snouts and made whistling, popping noises.

The warriors weren't interested in killing us, I was sure of that. If they were, they would have done it by now. Instead, they were keeping Annabeth and me contained while their comrades flooded below decks and secured the hull. I could hear them breaking down the cabin doors, scuffling with my friends. Even if my friends weren't half asleep, there was only so much they can do against an army this big.

Leo was dragged across the deck, half-conscious and groaning, and dumped on a pile of ropes. Below, the sound of fighting tapered off as the warriors tried to subdue our friends. I found myself praying that at least one of them can somehow break the enemies' ranks, but by the sound of it, it didn't seem like that.

On one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through. He appeared to be fully human, but from the way the dolphins fell back before him, he was clearly the leader. He was dressed in Greek combat style armor—sandals, kilt, and greaves, a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs—only his armor was gold instead of bronze. Even his sword, which resembles Riptide, was gold. The visor of the guy's mask was fashioned like a gorgon's head—curved tusks, horrible features pinched into a snarl, a golden snake hair curling around the face. I met all three Gorgon sisters and the helmet looked a lot like them.

 _The golden boy,_ I thought to myself. _How did I forget about him?_

Annabeth turned so she was shoulder to shoulder with me.

"Who are you?" I demanded. "What do you want?"

The golden warrior chuckled. With a flick of his blade, faster than I could follow, he smacked Riptide out of my hand and send it flying to the sea.

I wasn't too upset about that. Riptide is enchanted to return to my pocket in pen form if I ever lost it. But it did surprise me that the warrior was able to disarm me so quickly.

"Hello, brother," the golden warrior said in a Middle Eastern accent that I recognized even after five years. "Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want…" he turned his metal mask toward Annabeth. "Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."

* * *

 **A/N:** In case any of you are wondering, I have A.D.D.—Attention Deficient Disorder—which is like a non-hyperactive version of A.D.H.D. Which means I had problems paying attention to everything around me like any other A.D.H.D. but I don't display any of the usual Hyperactive behavior of those with A.D.H.D. So I know a thing or two of what it's like to be Attention Deficient.


	30. Percy's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part VI**

Chrysaor. Why am I not surprise he's the Golden Boy?

I guess I should explain.

Well, you know of the story of Medusa right? Dated my dad for a while, set up a date in Athena's temple, angered the Goddess of Wisdom to the point she turned the girl into the Monster she is known now who turns anyone she sees into stone until my namesake Perseus killed her.

Well, as it turned out, before Medusa was turned into a monster, my dad got her pregnant with twins, and instead of giving birth, the two babies grew in her belly until my namesake cut off her head. When he did that Medusa's blood that poured out of her body and head took form of the two babies in her: one of them being the first Pegasus and the other was the Golden Boy himself.

I know, it sounds weird and makes no sense, but most Greek stories are like that.

Anyways, the Pegasus took more of my dad's loyalty, becoming a loyal immortal beast to Olympus, while having mortal pegasus children who most been helping heroes for thousands of years.

Chrysaor on other hand took up more of Medusa personality (Thank gods he didn't inherit his mother's powers) and became the first pirate ever known in the Greek stories that plunders and steals from passing ships which is how he met his wife Callirhoe and had children like my least favorite former Texas Monster-rancher Geryon.

And now Chrysaor was walking aback on forth on our ship, inspecting us like we were prized cattle. A dozen of his dolphin-man warriors stayed in a ring around us, spear leveled at my chest, while dozens more ransack the ship, banging and crashing around below decks. One carried a box of ambrosia up the stairs. Another carried an armful of ballista bolts and a crate of Greek fire.

"Careful with that!" Annabeth warned. "It'll blow up both our ships."

"Ha!" Chrysaor said. "We know all about Greek fire, girl. Don't worry. We've been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for eons."

"I think Geryon said the same thing about his ranch," I grumbled.

Chrysaor's golden gorgon mask snarled at me, but I couldn't tell what his expression really was under his mask.

He quickly used his sword to expertly unclipped my thermos and tossed it back to himself.

"Hey! Give that back!" I yelled.

Chrysaor ignored me as he opened the thermos. "Celestial bronze thermos with fossilize shells coated inside. I'm guessing dad had this made for you so you can summon water even when you're nowhere near water. Which means what I heard about you being dad's favorite is true."

He tossed it to one of his dolphin men. "Put this with a loot."

The dolphin nodded as Chrysaor turned back to me. "I heard all about you, Percy Jackson. Oh, yes, the young man who saved Olympus. And his faithful sidekick, Annabeth Chase."

"I'm nobody's sidekick," Annabeth growled.

"I must admit. I'm surprise you know anything about me, brother," Chrysaor continued, "Most forget who I am considering my twin brother is the legendary Pegasus. Even when I earned the nickname Golden Sword, no one paid attention. So I became a villain instead. I resolved to put my heritage to use. As the son of Medusa, I would inspire terror. As the son of Poseidon, I would rule the seas!"

"And you became the first pirate," I said.

Chrysaor spread his arms. "The _best_ pirate," Chrysaor said. "I've sailed these waters for centuries, waylaying any demigods foolish enough to explore the Mare Nostrum. This is my territory now. And all you have is mine."

One of the dolphin warriors dragged Coach Hedge up from below. So much for Coach Hedge rescuing us.

"Let me go, you tuna fish!" Hedge bellowed. He tried to kick the warrior, but his hoof clanged off his captor's armor. Judging from the hoof-shaped prints in the dolphin's breastplate and helmet, the coach had already made several attempts.

"Ah, a satyr," Chrysaor mused. "A little old and stringy, but Cyclopes will pay well for a morsel like him. Chain him up."

"I'm nobody's goat meat!" Hedge protested.

"Gag him as well," Chrysaor decided.

"Why you gilded little—" Hedge's insult was cut short when the dolphin put a greasy wad of canvas in his mouth. Soon the Coach was trussed like a rodeo calf and dumped with the other loot—crates of food, extra weapons, my thermos, even the magical ice chest from the mess hall. It's a good thing I didn't spiral out my shield otherwise they would probably took that too. Chrysaor probably thought it was a regular watch or something, which might run in my favor.

"You can't do this!" Annabeth shouted.

Chrysaor's laughter reverberated inside his gold face mask.

"I can do anything I want," Chrysaor said. "My warriors have been trained to perfection. They are vicious, cutthroat—"

"They were part of that pirate crew that tried to kidnap a god." I started to remember

"I see you're as smart as they say you are too," Chrysaor said. "That's right, these warriors are the hybrid survivors. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!"

 _Except Mr. D,_ I remembered as an idea started rolling in my mind. But for it to work, I need Frank.

As I thought that more dolphin warriors climbed the stairs hauling up the rest of my friends. Jason was unconscious. Judging from the new bruise on his face, he tried to fight but probably was still exhausted from fighting monsters hours earlier. Hazel and Piper were bound hand and foot. I guess the dolphins found out about Piper's charmspeak ability because her mouth was gagged.

The only one missing was Frank, and judging from two of the dophin's faces that were covered in bee stings, I'm guessing Frank took a page from his Argonaut ancestor's book and turned into a swarm of bees.

 _Perfect,_ I thought trying to hide my smirk. _Riptide should be back in my pocket now, so all is left is to find a way to contact Frank._

Fortunately, Chrysaor was too busy gloating. "Excellent!" He directed the warriors to dump Jason by the crossbows. Then he examined the girls like they were Christmas presents.

"The boy is no use to me," Chrysaor said. "But we have an understanding with Circe. She will buy the women—either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skills. But not you, lovely Annabeth."

Annabeth recoiled. "You are _not_ taking me anywhere."

I turned to Piper and Hazel, nodded toward the dolphin warriors and patting my pocket and did a quick finger draw of the letter D, while trying to send a silent message: _I have a plan but I need a distraction involving Dionysus' power._

Both nodded lightly as if understanding what I was signaling.

Luckily the golden warrior didn't notice as he tutted at Annabeth. "Oh, sadly, Annabeth, you will not be staying with me. I would love that. But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying high price for your capture—alive, if possible."

At that moment, Piper wailed loudly it could be heard through her gag. Then she fainted against the nearest guard, knocking him over. Hazel then crumbled to the deck, kicking her legs and thrashing like she was having a fit.

I didn't know where Frank was, but I had no time to search for him. I spiraled out my shield and drew out Riptide. I lashed out at Chrysaor, forcing him to dodge and parried as my plan went into action.


	31. Percy's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part VII**

My plan wasn't an all out battle with Chrysaor. My plan was to out number Chrysaor. So when Piper and Hazel pulled their stunt, I slashed at Chrysaor, forcing him to dodge and back away from us..

At the corner of my eye, I saw Frank at the stern of the deck, in human form, peeking out from behind a ballista, waiting.

"Give up, brother! You don't stand a chance," Chrysaor said.

"Oh, what a shame. Because we got orders from our captain to meet up with him," I said.

Chrysaor turned his golden mask. "What captain?"

"Who else? The mighty Lord Bacchus himself," I said. "Or as the Greeks knows him better as Lord Dionysus!"

Annabeth picked up on my idea. "That's right! Mr. D's Roman form Bacchus! We made alliance with him on the way here."

A ripple of uneasiness passed through the dolphin men. One even dropped his sword.

"Stand fast!" Chrysaor bellowed. "There is no god helping them! They're trying to scare you."

"You should be scared!" I looked at the pirate crew with sympathy. "You think Dionysus is bad, oh-ho, you haven't met his more warlike form Bacchus! He will see too it we all suffer the consequences for you stopping us from helping him defeat the giants that plans to out perform him."

Hazel and Piper wailed once more and went into a crazed shaking fit. The dolphin-men fell over themselves trying to get away from their captives.

"Fakes!" Chrysaor roared. "Shut up, Percy Jackson. Your camp Director won't help you, and neither is his Roman form. He was recalled to Olympus with orders to have no contact with their demigod children. This is common knowledge."

Piper wailed once more, which scared the dolphins.

"Oh lord Bacchus! Please forgive us for our foolishness and not turn into dolphins!" I begged with a real prayer since we actually were throwing his name out in the open hoping Frank got the message.

Nothing happened. Really Frank.

"Ridiculous!" Chrysaor voice turned to shrill as if deciding whether to use his sword on his crew or on me.

"Oh, no!" I shrieked turning to Frank. "It's already happening! Frank is turning into a crazed dolphin!"

This time Frank got the message as stumbled out of nowhere, making a big show of grabbing his throat. "Oh, no," he said, like he was reading a teleprompter. I am turning into a crazy dolphin.

He began to change, his nose elongated into a snout, his skin became sleek and gray. He fell back to the deck as a dolphin, his tail thumping against the boards.

The pirate crew disbanded in terror, chattering and clicking as they dropped their weapons, forgot the captives, ignored Chrysaor's orders, and jumped overboard. In the confusion, Annabeth moved quickly to cut the bonds on Hazel Piper and Coach Hedge since they were the only ones conscious.

Within seconds, Chrysaor was alone and surrounded. Only Annabeth and I were armed, but Chrysaor still knew he had no chance as he backed to the edge of the rail.

"This isn't over, Jackson," Chrysaor growled. "I well have my revenge! You hear me!"

He didn't get to finish his threats as Frank charged at him in a form of a eight hundred grizzly bear and sideswiped Chrysaor and racked the golden mask off his helmet. Chrysaor screamed, instantly covering his face with his arms and tumbling into the water.

We ran to the rail only to see that Chrysaor had disappeared. I thought about chasing after him, but I decided not to since Chrysaor knows this waters better than me.

"That was brilliant!" Annabeth kissed me. "One of your best performances may I say."

I grinned as I rubbed the back of my head. "I can't take all the credit. It was a group effort."

"Still, that was a brilliant idea, kid," Coach Hedge admitted. "It would have been better if there were more action."

"What should we do with the pirate ship?" Frank asked.

"Burn it?" Annabeth asked.

I looked over at my thermos which sat on the magical ice chest. "Actually, I think I have another idea."

…

It took us longer than I wanted. As we worked I kept glancing at the sea, waiting for Chrysaor and his pirate dolphins to return. But they didn't.

Leo got back on his feet, thanks to a little nectar. Piper tended to Jason's wounds, but he wasn't as badly hurt as he looked. If anything his pride took a bit of hit due to the fact he was knocked out again. I tried to reassure Jason that it was okay, since he probably was still tired from defending the ship from monsters most of the night, but I don't think it helped.

We returned all of our supplies to the proper places and tidied up from the invasion. I even strapped my thermos back to my belt securely. Meanwhile Coach Hedge had a field day on the enemy ship, breaking everything he could find with his baseball bat.

When we were done, I loaded the enemy's weapons on the pirate ship. Their storeroom was full of treasure, but I insisted no one touch it.

"I can sense about six million dollars worth of gold aboard," Hazel said. "Plus diamonds, rubies—"

"Six m-million?" Frank stammered. "Canadian dollars or American?"

"Leave it," I said. "It's part of the tribute."

"Tribute?" Hazel asked.

"Oh." Piper nodded. "Kansas."

Jason grinned. He'd been there too when we'd met the Roman wine god. "Crazy. But I like it.

Finally I went aboard the pirate ship and opened the flood valves. I asked Leo to drill a few extra holes in the bottom of the hull with his power tools, and Leo was happy to oblige.

The crew of the _Argo II_ assembled at the rail and cut the grappling lines. Then we poured out cans of diet cokes on the deck from the ice chest. Once the ship was covered with diet coke (a little something incase Dionysus was listening), Piper brought out her new horn of plenty and, On my direction, wiled it to spew diet Pepsi like a fire hose (a little something for Bacchus). To my amazement the ship started sinking quickly.

Normally I'm against polluting sea water, but I threw in every sanddollar Annabeth brought for me into the sea.

"Lord Bacchus, or if you're listening, Lord Dionysus," I called holding up Chrysaor's golden mask. "We owe this victory to you as even without your presence here, your enemies still tremble at your name. Since none of us are legally at drinking age, I hope you accept the Diet Coke we left on the ship or the Diet Pepsi along with the ship of our enemy with six million dollars amount of gold as tribute for your help against the twin banes Ephialtes and Otis."

It was hard to get it out, but I managed as I threw the mask onto the vessel.

"Six million in gold," Leo muttered. "He'd _better_ like it."

"Shh," Hazel scolded. "Precious metal isn't all that great. Believe me."

Soon the ship was gone in a brown frizzy sea. I summoned a wave which swamped the enemy ship. Leo steered the _Argo II_ away as the pirate vessel disappeared underwater.

"Isn't that polluting?" Piper asked.

"I wouldn't worry," Jason told her. "If Bacchus likes it the ship along with the soda we poured on it will disappeared."

"Not to mention I threw in all of my sand dollars down there," I said. "So I won't be paying any spirits for help anymore."

…

After our bout with pirates, we decided to fly the rest of the way to Rome. Yes, that includes me. As much as I hate flying, I don't want another run in with any more of my immortal pirate-brothers either. Plus since Hazel was no longer sea sick I was finally able to tell her and Jason about my dream with the Amazons and Hunters.

It felt a bit odd considering the three of us were children of the big three. I remembered Persephone once telling me that when children of the Big Three work together, a lot could accomplished, and after the Titan War, I choose not to question it.

Even now, I don't want to question it. Sure Hazel doesn't have the powers over the dead like the di Angelos but I seen what Hazel could do with the powers she does have, and even if she wasn't one of the prophecy of seven, I know sh's stronger than she looks.

"So Hylla and Thalia teamed up?" Jason asked.

"Yep," I said. "And from what I also heard, Reyna requested the Greek Amazons to help her slow down the Romans. My guess is that to throw suspicion off her."

"You said Bianca is among them?" Hazel asked.

I nodded.

"But what concerns me is who this _Hunter_ is," Jason said.

"Annabeth and I came up with a few theories, but none of them are good," I said. "Worse case scenario it's Gaea's son that was supposed to oppose Artemis and Apollo."

"Supposed to?" Hazel asked.

"In the last Giant war not all of Gaea's and Tartarus' children fought against Olympus," I explained.

"But things have changed since then," Jason added.

I nodded.

"I been thinking," Jason said. "I think it's time to let Hazel take a lead in a quest as a child of the big three."

I shifted a little as Hazel looked shock.

"Me… lead a quest?" Hazel asked.

Jason nodded. "You're a child of Pluto, right? That means you're a child of the Big Three, just like Percy and myself, and since we need to send a recon team out to search for Nico, I think it's a good starters for you to step up as quest leader as one."

Hazel seemed to be confused but she nodded.

"You two better get some rest," Jason said, "Since we're back in my dad's domain, I'll keep watch."

…

I wasn't too happy to return to my cabin.

It didn't seem right to put the responsibility of quest of finding Nico on Hazel, but Jason was right. It was time Hazel get the chance to step up as child of the Big Three.

I guess it was just my personal loyalty kicking in. Ever since the second dream vision with the giants, I felt like I don't want anyone of my friends sacrifice themselves in the battle. I especially been concern about Annabeth going on her own and started second guessing myself about what I told Juno back in Camp Jupiter about believing in my own girlfriend.

Ever since Thalia was turned into a tree when I was seven I been hesitant when it comes to allowing my friends fight for me. Heck, I even bathed in the River of Styx so I could save more of my friends during the Battle of Manhattan.

Even after Luke was willing to sacrifice himself to stop Kronos, I couldn't help but think 'Could I done something to stop him' or, 'Could there been another way to save my brother'.

Then I found myself making a fool of myself. I know what I could have done to stop Kronos from gaining control over Luke, but either I never got the chance or Luke never let me tell him.

Even after tonight's battle with the pirates, I question my movements. True it was a group effort, but it could have also cost us. I was just fortunate that Frank wasn't capture and the dolphin-men were gullible.

Finally, after a long debate to myself exhaustion started taking over me and the moment my eyes closed, the dream visions once again kicked in.

…

I dreamed I was standing on the front porch of the Big House at Camp Half-Blood. The sleeping face of Gaea appeared at Camp Half-Blood. The sleeping face of Gaea appeared on the side of Half-Blood Hill—her massive features formed from the shadows on the grassy slopes. Her lips didn't move, but her voice echoed across the valley.

 _So this is our home,_ Gaea murmured. _Take a last look, Percy Jackson. You should have returned here. At least then you could have died the way your predecessor of the Achilles' curse did when the Romans invade. Now I'll by pass your curse and have your blood spill far from home, on the ancient stones, and I will rise._

The ground shook. At the top of Half-Blood Hill, Thalia's pine tree burst into flames. Disruption rolled across the valley—grass turning into sand, forest crumbling to dust. The river and the canoe lake dried up. The cabins and the Big House burned to ashes. When the tremor stopped, Camp Half-Blood looked like a wasteland after an atomic blast. The only thing left was the porch where I stood.

My eyes widened as my hands trembled. I remember when I fought Phobos—the god of fear, and he made me relived my worst fears of seeing the camp being destroyed.

Next to me, the dust swirled and solidified into a figure of a woman. Her eyes were closed, as if she were sleepwalking. Her robes were forest green, dappled with gold and white like the sunlight shifting through branches. Her hair was as black as tilled soil. Her face was beautiful, but even with a dreamy smile on her lips she seemed cold and distant. I got the feeling she could watch demigods die or cities burn, and that smile wouldn't waver.

"When I reclaim the earth," Gaea said. "I will leave this spot barren forever, to remind me of your kind and how utterly powerless they were to stop me. Not even your precious hunters and Amazons will be able to stop my son after how their mistress did him wrong. It doesn't matter _when_ you fall, my sweet little pawn—to Phorcys or Chrysaor or my dear twins or to your own foolishness to keep the Mark of Achilles. You _will_ fall, and I will be there to devour you. You saw the vision with the Amazons and the Hunters, right? Your only choice now… will you fall alone? Come to me willingly; bring the girl. Perhaps I will spare this place you love and maybe even those of the Hunters and Amazons you call your sisters."

The sand blew across behind her and my eyes widened when I saw the corpse of Thalia Grace. She laid their stiff and dead, as if she been there for a while and her electric blue eyes looked at me, as if pleading for me to help.

She wasn't alone. As the sand blew, I saw more corpses, of the Hunters and Amazons: Bianca, Hylla, Kinzie—all of those I came to trust either over the years or during Polybotes' attack on New Rome. All of them had the same expression as Thalia.

"No!" I yelled. "This is a trick! You're just trying to manipulate me like your son Kronos tried to do! I won't do it!"

"Then you'll suffer the consequences." Gaea opened her eyes. They swirled in green and black, as deep as the crusted earth. Gaea saw everything. Her patience was infinite. She was slow to wake, but once she arose, I could sense that her power would be unstoppable.

My skin tingled. My hands went numb. I looked down and realized I was crumbling to dust, like all the monsters I'd ever defeated.

"Enjoy Tartarus, my little pawn," Gaea purred.

…

I jolted awake, kicking off the blanket off my bead. A bead a sweat dripped from my forehead as my hands shake.

 _It was just a dream vision,_ I thought to myself. But no matter how hard I reminded myself, I was still shaken up.

I mean, sure seen a lot of scary stuff before, such as see Luke's mom from a nice lady turn into an insane person that should be locked up in an insane asylum because she tried to become the vessel of the spirit of Delphi while the previous oracle before Rachel was curse, and fought the twin gods of Fear and Terror before alongside Clarisse, but none of those compete to what I just saw in that dream vision.

I felt like Circe turned me into a guinea pig once more, skittish and jumpy like a scared rodent.

Just then I heard a metallic _CLANG-CLANG-CLANG_ that made me litteraly jump from my bed.

 _It's just the landing gear,_ I thought, _I got to get a hold of myself._

There was a knock on the door, and Jason poked his head in. The bruises on his face faded. Although his blue eyes glittered with excitement, they only reminded me of the body of Thalia I saw in my dream.

"Hey, man. We're descending over Rome," Jason paused as if just noticing how shaken up I must of look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" I replied. "I just woke from a really, _really_ bad nightmare."

Jason nodded in understanding. I wouldn't be surprise if the son of Jupiter who once led the Romans to attack the Titans base had his share of horrible nightmares. It made me wonder if Kronos—or Saturn if the Titans came with their own Roman personas—had tried to manipulate Jason to help him just as he tried with Thalia and me. It made me wonder if Gaea has visited his dreams too (not that I would ask).

"Come on, man. You really should see the Rome," Jason said. "It might brighten your mood alittle."

…

Jason was right. The view did calm me down a little—at least enough where I don't jump at every little thing.

The sky was a brilliant blue, as if the stormy weather had never happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so everything below us shone and sparkled like the entire city of Rome had just come out of the car wash.

I'm from New York, and been to big cities. Heck I spend months traveling with Luke Thalia and Annabeth through big cities—hiding from authorities of course. But none of the cities I been to could compare to Rome. Heck, Rome even looked more splendid than New Rome.

The city seemed to have no regard for the limits of geography. It spread through hills and valleys, jumped over the Tiber with dozens of bridges, and just kept sprawling to the horizon. Streets and alleys zigzagged with no rhyme or reason through quilts of neighborhoods. Glass office buildings stood next to excavation sites. A cathedral stood next to a line of Roman columns, which stood next to a modern soccer stadium. In some neighborhoods, old stucco villas with red-tiled roofs crowded the cobblestone streets. Everywhere I looked, there were wide piazzas and traffic-clogged streets. Parks cut across the city with a crazy collection of Palm trees, pines, junipers, and olive trees, as if Rome couldn't decide what part of the world it belonged to—or maybe it just believed all the world still belonged to _Rome_.

"We're setting down in that park," Leo announced, pointing to a wide green space dotted with palm trees. "Hey Percy, how about using the Mist to make us look like a large pigeon or something."

"Huh?" I responded, as I was still amazed by the view. "Oh, right! Yeah, sure!"

I snapped my fingers and concentrated with all my might. Sure enough there was a strong breeze that filled the ship and I knew it did the trick.

"I'll never get use to you doing that," Frank said.

We stopped above the park like we did back in Atlanta—just not at the tallest hill. The noise of traffic was all around us, but the park itself was peaceful and deserted. To our left, a green lawn sloped toward a line of woods. An old villa nestles in the shade of some weird looking pine trees with thin curvy trunks that shot up thirty or forty feet, then sprouted into canopies. If I remember correctly, I think they were called umbrella trees, which sounded like an appropriate name since the do look like they provide shade like an umbrella. To our right, snaking along the top of the hill, was a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers—probably a defensive line left by the Ancient Romans.

To the north, about a mile away through the folds of the city, the top of the Colosseum rose above the rooftops, looking just like it did in travel photos.

I couldn't believe it. We actually made it to the heart of the Roman Empire—enemy territory for Greek demigod: Rome.

Jason pointed to the base of the archer's wall, where the steps led down into some kind of tunnel.

"I think I know where we are," he said. "That's the Tomb of Scipios—a noble Roman family."

"Wow, this place is amazing," Annabeth said.

Jason nodded. "I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but…"

Nobody bothered finishing that sentence. Looking at my friend's faces, I could tell they were just as much in awe as me. We'd made it. We landed in Rome— _the_ Rome.

"Nico has until sunset—at best," Hazel said. "And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."

I shook myself out of my daze. "You're right. Annabeth… did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?"

Her gray eyes turned extra thunderstorm dark, which I could interpret just fine: _Remember what I said, Seaweed Brain. Keep that part of the dream to yourself_.

"Yes," she said carefully. "It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should still look for the River God Tiberinus."

"Well, that shouldn't be to hard, just follow his river," I said, "I'll come along with you until we find Tiberinus. We still don't know if those letters of introduction would be enough to get on his good side, but maybe if he saw the tattoos I got while in Camp Jupiter, he won't attack you."

Annabeth gave me this look that would make me anyone else back down, but considering we knew each other since we were seven, I'm immune to it. Besides, my mother had drummed it into my head since I started dating Annabeth: _It's good manners to walk your date to the door_. If that was true, it _had_ to be good manners to walk her to start her epic solo quest that could either prove her as one of the prophecy of seven or lead to her death.

"Percy has a good point," Jason said, "Tiberinus might go easy on you if you're with someone with the Roman Legion tattoos. Especially if he knows that Percy is praetor of New Rome since most Roman gods have respect for those who earn praetorship."

I never thought of my quick promotion to Praetorship making a difference, but I was still glad Jason was on myside.

"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location.

Hazel blinked, as if coming out of a trance from watching Annabeth's and my little show. Now she had a nervous look, and I guess she remembered what Jason said last night about her stepping up. "Um… hopefully, if I get close enough. Frank, would you come with me?"

Frank beamed. "Absolutely."

"And, uh… Leo," Hazel added. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."

"Yeah," Leo said. "No problem."

I expected Frank to frown to the idea of Leo tagging along. Ever since those three met I sense some kind of competition between Frank and Leo. But Frank just had that scared and worried look in his eyes as he instinctively reached for his pocket, which told me he was no longer worried about Leo trying to win Hazel's heart, but was more worried about his lifeline.

Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail. "Jason and I can watch the ship for now. I'll see what Katoptris can sow me. But Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants."

She didn't say it but I had a feeling Piper meant: _that's if Bacchus accepted our offering_.

"Good idea," I agreed. "How about we meet back here sometime afternoon."

"At three would be best," Jason suggested. "That way we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris message."

Everyone nodded to the idea, but I noticed most of our friends were glancing at Annabeth. Another one thing no one wanted to say: Annabeth would be on a different schedule. She might be back at three, or much later, or never—hopefully not never. Either way, she would be on her own, searching for the Athena's Parthenos."

Coach Hedge grunted. "That'll give me time to eat the coconuts—I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull. Percy, Annabeth… I don't like you two going off on your own. Just remember: _behave_. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over."

The idea of getting grounded when we were about to risk our lives was ridiculous, I couldn't help smiling.

"We'll be back soon," I promised. I looked around at my friends, trying not to feel like this was the last time we'd ever be together or remembered the latest dream vision with the bodies of the Hunters and Amazons. "Good luck, everyone."

Leo lowered the gangplank, and Annabeth and I were first off the ship.

* * *

 **A/N:** I been a bit anxious to get to the parts of the books where the characters were in Rome for a while now. Especially since I been to Rome. And let me tell you, the site of the city even on ground level, was amazing.

Interesting fact about those umbrella trees. The Romans actually planted those trees along their paths and roads for their armies when they travel to conquer their neighboring towns and countries so that the Romans can have shades from the hot sun as they travel. That's why not only Rome but across most of Italy you can still find Umbrella trees.

For those who says that the Romans downgraded Athena from a major Olympian goddess to a minor goddess Minerva, although it's true did you know there's actually an building in Rome named after Minerva? Well guess what, they do. I saw it myself. So when Reyna said that the Romans still had respect for Minerva, she wasn't lying.

Here's another fun fact about the Roman Colosseum. You know how in some movies Hollywood would have the actors playing Gladiators wear helmets when they fight. Well, it turns out that was a Hollywood myth. Gladiators didn't wear helmets when they fought each other or the wild animals the Romans collected. Apparently the bloodier the battles were the more entertainment there was for the Romans, so no gladiator helmets. So when you watch movies like the latest Pompeii movie and ask yourself why the gladiators in that movie didn't wear helmets like in the other movies, it's because those movies are a little more accurate to the Gladiator games than the movie Gladiator itself.

If you think that's something, wait until the group makes it to Greece. I got some interesting real facts I learned when I was in Greece.


	32. Percy's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part VIII**

Under different circumstances, wandering through Rome with Annabeth would have been awesome. We held hands as we navigated the winding streets, dodging cars and crazy Vespa drivers, squeezing through mobs of tourist, and wading through oceans of pigeons. The day warmed up quickly. Once we got away from the car exhaust on the main roads, the air smelled of baking bread and freshly cut flowers.

We aimed for the Colosseum since that was an easy landmark and decided to travel from there to the Tiber River, but getting to the Colosseum had proved to be harder than I thought. As big and confusing as the city and looked from above, it was even more so on the ground. Several times we got lost on dead-end streets. We found beautiful fountains and huge monuments by accident.

Once we even found a building name after Athena's Roman form Minerva. Well, I'm not sure if it actually was name after Minerva, but it might as well since it had her mane carved in big letters on the side of the front of the building so that even someone with Dyslexia couldn't miss it.

Once in a while I noticed a vending machine that I swear serves pizza. I was tempted to see if it was true, but unfortunately I didn't have any foreign money on me, or my Lotus Casino Cash card.

Annabeth commented on the architecture, but I kept my eyes open for other things. Once I spotted a glowing purple ghost—a Lar—glaring at us from the window of an apartment building. Another time I saw a white-robed woman—maybe a nymph or a Roman goddess—holding a wicked looking knife, slipping between the ruined columns in a public park. Nothing attacked us, but I felt like we were being watched, and the watchers were not friendly.

Finally we reached the Colosseum, where a dozen guys in cheap gladiator costumes were scuffling with the police—plastic swords versus batons. I wasn't sure what that was about, but Annabeth and I decided to keep walking. Sometimes mortals were even stranger than monsters.

We made our way west, stopping every once in a while to ask for directions to the river. At first when Annabeth brought it up, I remember Hades once mentioning that Nico's and Bianca's mom was an Italian ambassador and started wishing we had one of the di Angelo kids here in case they know a little Italian. Then I felt bad as I remember that if Nico was here the giants wouldn't have him captive.

Fortunately, not all Italians only spoke Italian. I learn that quickly when one try to speak to us in Italian, but when they realize we didn't understand them, they switch to English.

By noon, it got really hot and I was getting thirsty as I started wishing I had my family's emergency Lotus Casino Cash Card.

Annabeth must of read my mind when she saw me looking at the tourist shop, because she dug around in her backpack and brought out Daedalus' laptop and typed in a few commands. A plastic card ejected from the slot in the side.

Annabeth waved it triumphantly. "International credit card. Works just as good as the Lotus Casino Cash Cards for emergencies."

I gave her a kiss to show my appreciation before we got something to drink.

The sodas help, but we were still hot and tired by the time we arrived at the Tiber River. The shore was edged with stone embankment. A chaotic assortment of warehouses, apartments, stores, and cafés crowded the river front. The Tiber itself was wide, lazy and caramel-colored. A few tall cypress trees hung over the banks.

I made a comment that I imagine this river been cleaner when Lupa found Romulus and Remus, otherwise I wouldn't see how two demigod children of Mars survive in that water, which made Annabeth smiled a little.

"I wonder if this is the exact place where Lupa raised and trained Romulus and Remus," I said.

"I don't know, but look." Annabeth pointed to the nearest bridge looked fairly new, made from iron girders, but right next to it stood a crumbling line of stone arches that stopped halfway across the river—ruins that might've been left over from the days of the Caesars.

"This is it," Annabeth pointed at the old stone bridge. "I recognize that from the map. So what now?"

I don't know, but I didn't want to leave Annabeth yet. I still wasn't sure about letting Annabeth continue on this quest. The latest dream vision still had me shaken up.

I wished I still had a sand dollar on me. Maybe Terminus will appear if I threw one in. Sadly I used every one of my remaining sanddollars Annabeth brought for me to make up to the sea spirits for sinking a pirate trireme full of mixed diet pepsi and diet coke soda.

I looked at one of the café tables overlooking the water. "It's about lunchtime. Ow about we try your credit card again?"

Even though it was noon, the place was empty. We picked a table outside by the table, and the waiter hurried over. He looked a bit surprised to see us—especially when we said we wanted lunch.

"Americans?" he asked, with a pain smile.

"Yes," Annabeth said.

"And I'd loved a pizza," I said.

The waiter looked like he was trying to swallow a euro—European money—coin. "Of course you would, _signor_. And let me guess: a Coca-Cola? With ice?"

"That be great, thanks," I replied.

Annabeth ordered a panini and some fizzy water. After the waiter left, smiled at me. "I think Italians eat a lot later in the day. They don't put ice in their drinks. And they only do pizza for tourists."

"Oh—I guess that explains the Pizza vending machines I saw on the way here," I said.

Annabeth giggled. We held hands across the table. I was content just to look at Annabeth in the sunlight. It always made her hair so bright and warm. Her eyes took on the colors of the sky and the cobblestones, alternately brown or blue.

I was debating to myself if I should tell Annabeth about my latest dream—especially about seeing Thalia's corpse. Thalia was as much a sister to Annabeth as she was to me. But then I remember the reason Annabeth told me not to tell our friends about the mystery voice vision was because she said it would make it harder for her to go on this solo quest, and if she found out about what I saw it would make things a lot more difficult. Besides, Thalia wouldn't want us to stop this important quest or sacrifice ourselves just because Gaea said she would spare her.

"I miss you when we were separated," I said.

"Percy—"

"I know, you need to go on this quest alone, and I do believe that you can finish it, but if the monster is you-know-who, I can't help but worry," I said.

Lunch arrived. The waiter looks much calmer. He even seems calmer when I apologized for being a clueless tourist, because he laughed.

"Don't worry about it. I should have been a politer host," the waiter said, "At least you were wise enough to pick a table with such a beautiful view. Please, enjoy."

Once he left, I found myself staring at my pizza. Nothing was wrong with it—at least by site but it was big enough to be considered as a small family size pizza.

"I'm starting to think Italian restaurant pizzas are not meant for one person in Italy too," I joked.

Annabeth laughed at my comment. "Maybe next time you should have ordered for a slice of pizza."

I shrugged and grabbed myself a slice and ate it. The pizza was a bland doughy with not a lot of cheese. I'm starting to see why Romans don't eat their own pizzas.

"Percy, I promise you, I will return to you," Annabeth said. "No matter where this quest takes me or who I face, I'll find a way to come back to you."

I swallowed another bite of my bland pizza. "I believe you, Annabeth."

The sound a Vespa interrupted us. I looked along the river front and did a double take. The motor scooter was an old-fashioned model: big and baby blue. The driver was a guy in a silky gray suit. Behind him sat a younger woman with a headscarf, her hands around the man's waist. They weaved between café tables and puttered to a stop next to Annabeth and me.

"Why, hello," the man said. His voice was deep, almost croaky, like a movie actor's. His hair was short and greased back from his craggy face. He was handsome in a 1950s dad-on-television way. Even his clothes seemed old fashioned. When he stepped off his bike, the waistline of his slacks was way higher than normal, but somehow he still managed to look manly and stylish and not like a total goober. He looked like he might be thirty-something, but I can't be sure.

The woman slid off the bike. "We've had the most _lovely_ morning," she said breathlessly.

She looked about twenty-one, also dressed in an old-fashioned style. Her ankle-length marigold skirt and white blouse were pinched together with a large leather belt, giving her the narrowest waist I had ever seen. She removed her scarf, her short wavy black hair bounced into perfect shape. She had dark playful eyes and a brilliant smile. I had seen naiads that looked less pixiesh than this lady.

I didn't recognized them, but apparently Annabeth did.

"Oh, gods! Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn!" Annabeth's eyes were wide and her mouth kept falling open. "I can't believe it! You're from the 1950s _Roman Holiday_. But how—"

"Oh, my dear," the woman twirled like an air spirit and sat down at our table. "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else. My name is Rhea Silvia."

My eyes widened as I recognized that name. "Y-You're Rhea Silvia? Descendant of Aeneas and birth mother of Romulus and Remus?"

"The same one," Rhea Silvia said. "I take it from that tattoo on your upper arm you heard of my story from Lupa and her Roman demigods."

"More from Lupa," I admitted. "But wait, if you're Rhea Silvia then you're—" I turned to the man Annabeth called Gregory Pecks.

"Terminus god of the Tiber, at your service son of Poseidon," Terminus said. "My naiads told me I would find you two here." He cast his dark eyes toward Annabeth. "You have the map, my dear? And your letter of introduction."

"Uh…" Annabeth handed him the letter and the disk of bronze. She was staring at the river god, and if it wasn't for me still being in shock, I would be jealous.

"S-so," she stammered, "you've helped other children of Athena with this quest?"

"Oh, my dear!" Rhea Silvia, put her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Tiberinus is _ever_ so helpful. He saved my children Romulus and Remus, as your dear boyfriend pointed out, and brought them to the wolf goddess Lupa. Later, when king Amullius tried to kill me, Tiberinus took pity on me and made me his wife. I've been ruling the river kingdom ever since. He's just dreamy."

"Thank you, my dear," Tiberinus said with a wry smile. "And, yes, Annabeth Chase, I've helped many of your siblings… to at least begin their journey safely. I always disapproved how the Romans took your mother's statue and started that ridiculous feud between Greeks and Romans, so I tried to give them a safe start in hopes that when they find their mother's statue they can bring peace since I can't let Rome be destroyed either. A shame all of them died painfully later on. Well, your documents seem in order. We should get going. The Mark of Athena awaits!"

Then he turned to me. "As for you Percy Jackson, I know you worried about your girlfriend's safety, but you still have your part in the quest to save Rome. After all, someone must make those giants face the punishment for their assistance in death of Annabeth's siblings who took on this quest. Only two praetors can make Bacchus see his help is needed."

I furrowed. "What?"

"You'll see what I mean. As for now, you should return to your ship and gather your other friends and use Piper's knife to find your way. Most importantly, use your father's gift wisely when the time comes. I fear you have less time than you realize to save your friend in the jar."

My pizza felt like cement lump in my stomach.

I clutch Annabeth's hands. "Please be safe. Come back."

"I will," Annabeth responded.

Rhea sighed like she was watching a romance scene she knows was going to end badly. "Young love. I remember what it was like to have that naïve because of it. Come, Annabeth, my dear. We will show you where your path starts. After that, you're in on your own."

Annabeth gave me a goodbye kiss before shouldering her backpack and climbed on the back of the scooter and Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia rode off with her.

I hated this. I would prefer fighting all the monsters in the world than to see Annabeth leave on a dangerous quest.

 _Athena, I know you're angry at Annabeth, but PLEASE look after your daughter,_ I prayed.

* * *

 **A/N:** In case you're wondering, there is pizza vending machines in Rome, I saw them myself. As for the small family pizza thing I brought up-let's just say I learned quickly in Rome that when you ordered for pizza, unless you're planning to share it with someone else do yourself a favor and be polite about it and ORDER FOR A SLICE OF PIZZA


	33. Annabeth's POV Part IX

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades**', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian**' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes**' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part IX**

I didn't want to leave Percy but at least we had lunch together. I had a feeling he was keeping something back during the meal—probably whatever had him so spooked this morning.

I haven't seen Percy looked so scared and worried about my safety since I decided to sneak up in the Big House to see the mummified remains of the previous oracle (before Rachel) on my own since I couldn't convince Percy to come with me. It was sweet, but it almost made me want to turn away from this solo quest. Especially since now I know Percy wouldn't be act that way unless he had a good reason.

In fact, I was at the verge too until Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia showed up.

I still can't believe how much Tiberinus looked so much like Gregory Peck. The only reason I knew about that old movie was because of my dad. Over the past few years, since the two of us made up, we'd spent more time together, and I learned that my dad had a sappy side. Sure, he liked military history, weapons, and biplanes, but he also loved old films, especially romantic comedies from the 1940s and '50s. _Roman Holiday_ was one of his favorites, and of course, he made me watch it.

I thought the plot was silly—a princess escaped her minders and fall in love with an American journalist in Rome—but I suspected my dad liked it because it reminded him of his own romance with my mom Athena: another impossible pairing that couldn't end happily. My dad was nothing like Gregory Peck. Athena was certainly being anything like Audrey Hepburn. But I knew that people saw what they wanted to see. They didn't need the Mist to warp their perceptions—especially considering my dad could see through the Mist.

As the baby-blue scooter zipped through the streets of Rome, the goddess Rhea Silvia gave me a running commentary on how the city had changed over the centuries.

"The Sublician Bridge was over there," she said, pointing to a bend in the Tiber. "You know, where Horatius and his two friends defended the city from an invading army? Now, _there_ was a brave Roman!"

"And look, dear," Tiberinus added, "that's the place where Romulus and Remus washed ashore."

He seemed to be talking about a spot on the riverside where some ducks were making nest out of torn-up plastic bags and candy wrappers. I guess that answer Percy's question earlier on where the founders of Rome washed up.

"Ah, yes," Rhea Silvia sighed happily. "You were so kind to flood yourself and wash my babies ashore for the wolves to find."

"It was nothing," Tiberinus said.

I started feeling light-headed. The river god was talking about something that happened thousands of years ago, when this area was nothing but marshes and maybe shacks. Tiberinus saved two babies, one of whom went on to found the world's greatest empire. He may say it was nothing, but from the way Percy said it, I doubt it was nothing to Lupa or the Roman Demigods.

Rhea Silvia pointed out a large modern apartment building. "That used to be a temple to my ancestor Venus."

Despite the dizziness it did occurred to me that if Rhea Silvia was the ancestor of Aeneas she would be also the descendant of Venus—or Aphrodite—which meant Romulus and Remus were not only sons of Mars, but also what the Romans refer as Legacies of Venus. It wasn't rather unusual for me though. Although most demigods are known for who their divine parent is, there are few throughout the Greek stories that were known to descend from the Olympians too like Achilles and Hercules.

Rhea Silvia continued talking about the complex. "Then it was a church. Then a palace. Then an apartment building. It burned down three times. Now it's an apartment building again. And that spot right there—"

"Please," I said. "You're making me dizzy."

Rhea Silvia laughed. "I'm sorry, dear. Layers upon layers of history here, but it's nothing compared to Greece. Athens was old when Rome was a collection of mud huts. You'll see, if you survive."

"Not helping," I muttered.

"Here we are," Tiberinus announced. He pulled over in front of a large marble building, the façade covered in city grime but still beautiful. Ornate carvings of Roman gods decorated the roofline. The massive entrance was barred with iron gates, heavily padlocked.

"I'm going in there?" I wished I'd brought Leo or had Hermes' powers over locks.

Rhea Silvia covered her mouth and giggled. "No, my dear. Not _in_ it. _Under_ it."

Tiberinus pointed to a set of stone steps on the side of the building—the sort that would have led to a basement apartment if this place were Manhattan.

"Rome is chaotic aboveground," Tiberinus said, "but that's nothing compared to _below_ ground. You must descend into the buried city, Annabeth Chase. Find the altar of the foreign gods. The failures of your predecessors will guide you. After that… I do not know."

My backpack felt heavy on my shoulders. I'd been studying the bronze map for days now, scouring Daedalus' laptop for information. Unfortunately, the few things I had learned made this quest seemed more impossible. "My siblings… none of them made it all the way to the shrine, did they."

Tiberinus shook his head. "But if the rumors I heard about this being your test as one of the great seven heroes are true, then I hope you can achieve what they fail and liberate the prize that awaits you."

"If you do that, you could bring peace to the children of Greece and Rome," Rhea Silvia said, "It could change the course of the coming war."

"Only if I deliver it right," I said.

Tiberinus nodded. "True, but if the tests of the Prophecy of Seven was simple, you wouldn't be able to prove yourselves as the Greatest Heroes."

"Tests… are you saying even after what my friends did to prove themselves—what I'll have to do to prove myself—as one of the Prophecy of Seven… we still need to prove ourselves?" I asked.

"Yes and no. Freeing Thantos and Hera, liberating Athena's statue—those are—as you say—to prove yourselves as prophecy of seven. But you're not seeing the bigger picture. Those quest were set up where you and your friends had to complete in small groups for your camps. But there's still the biggest tests the prophecy of seven would have to face before the final battle—a test to show the world that the seven of you can work together—that the Romans and Greeks don't have to be enemies," Tiberinus said, "I believe you know what that is."

Suddenly my fear of what I'm about to face seemed insignificant. If Tiberinus said was correct, then even if I survived today, there was still a greater test my friends and I must pass before we face the Giants one last time. One that might be even more dangerous than the test Hera help set up the moment she forced Percy and Jason in one of her exchange program, and the test I'm about to take right now.

 _Foes bear arms at the doors of death_ , that wasn't just a line of a prophecy, it was the final test.

"Now you see why I'm rooting for you to do what your siblings could not," Tiberinus explained.

"I do hope you survive to make it happen," Rhea Silvia sighed.

"Good-bye, Annabeth Chase," said the river god, "And good luck."

I got off their vespa and soon they drove off. Then I turned and descended the steps alone.

…

I'd been underground plenty of times. I even been to the Underworld, and you can't get any further underground than that—except maybe Tartarus, but no sane demigod would go there.

But halfway down the steps, I realized just how long it been since I'd adventured by myself. I froze.

Gods…. I hadn't done something like this since I was seven—after I ran away from home but before Percy found me.

The last time I felt this scared was when Thalia Luke and Grover unknowingly wondered into a Cyclops lair in Brooklyn, and Percy and I had to save them, but even then I had Percy to help me.

I forced myself to keep going. I had no choice. If the Athena Parthenos was down here, it could decide the fate of the war. More importantly, it could help my mom. Athena _needed_ me.

At the bottom of the steps I reached an old wooden door with an iron pull ring. Above the ring was a metal plate with a keyhole. I started considering ways to pick the lock, but as soon as I touched the pull ring, a fiery shape burned in the middle of the door: the silhouette of Athena's owl. Smoke plumed from the keyhole and the door swung inward.

I looked up one last time. At the top of the stairwell, the sky was a square of brilliant blue. Mortals would be enjoying the warm afternoon. Couples would be holding hands at the cafés. Tourist would be bustling through the shops and museums. Regular Romans would be going about their daily business, probably not considering the thousands of years of history under their feet, and definitely unaware of the spirits, gods, and monsters that still dwelt here, or the fact that their city might be destroyed if my friend don't succeed in stopping the twin banes of Dionysus.

I stepped through the doorway.

I found myself in the basement that was an architectural cyborg. Ancient brick walls were crisscrossed with modern electrical cables and plumbing. The ceiling was held up with a combination of steel scaffolding and old granite Roman columns.

The front of the basement was stacked with crates. Out of curiosity, I opened a few. Some were packed with multicolored spools of strings—like for kites or arts and crafts projects. Other crates were full of cheap plastic gladiator swords. Maybe at one point this had been a storage area for a tourist shop.

In the back of the basement, the floor had been excavated, revealing another set of steps—these of white stone—leading still deeper underground.

I crept to the edge and even with the glow cast by my dagger, it was too dark to see below. I rested my hand on the wall and found a light switch.

I flipped it. Glaring white fluorescent bulbs illuminated the stairs. Below, I saw a mosaic floor decorated with deer and fauns—maybe a room from an Ancient Rome villa, just stashed away under this modern basement along with the crates of string and plastic swords.

Since I had nowhere else to go, I decided to climbed down into the room below. The room was about twenty feet square. The walls had once been brightly painted, but most of the frescoes had peeled or faded. The only exit other than the one I climbed down from was a hole in one corner of the floor where the mosaic had been pulled up. Maybe one of my siblings made it trying to get to Athena Parthenos or maybe the guardian did this herself to lead my siblings into a trap. I'm hoping for the first one. I crouched next to the opening. It dropped straight down into a larger cavern, but I couldn't see the bottom.

I heard running water—maybe thirty or forty feet below. The air didn't smell like a sewer—just old and musty, and slightly sweet, like moldering flowers. Perhaps it was an old water line from the aqueducts. But I didn't see anyway down.

"I'm not jumping," I muttered to myself.

As if in reply, something glowed in the darkness. The Mark of Athena blazed to life at the bottom of the cavern, revealing glistening brickwork along the subterranean canal forty feet below. The fiery owl seemed to be taunting me: _Well, this is the way, kid. So you'd better figure something out._

I considered my options. It was too dangerous to jump and there was no ladders or ropes. I thought about borrowing some metal scaffolding from above to use as a fire pole, but it was all bolted in place and I didn't want to cause the building to collapsed on top of me. I promised my boyfriend that I would return to him, and I don't want to.

Frustration crawled through me like an army of termites. I had spent my life watching over demigods gain amazing powers. Percy could control water, Hazel could find underground paths that were safe, Leo could probably built me something to get down. Frank could turn into a bird. Jason could control the wind. Even Piper probably could use her charmspeak to convince Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia to be a little more helpful.

All I had was my dagger that once belong to a son of Apollo, a cursed silver coin, a backpack with Daedalus' laptop, a water bottle, a jar of Myrmekes gunk and a box of matches since Leo prove that the fire and the gunk can be the most stinky combo.

Other than that, I had no amazing powers that makes me a great hero Even my one true magic item, my New York Yankees cap of invisibility, had stopped working, and was still back in my cabin on the _Argo II_.

 _You've got your intelligence,_ a voice said. I wondered if Athena was speaking to me, but that was probably wishful thinking.

Intelligence… like Athena's favorite hero, Odysseus. He'd won the Trojan War with cleverness, not strength. He had overcome all sorts of monsters and hardships with his wits. That's what Athena valued.

 _Wisdom's daughter walks alone_.

That didn't mean just without other people, I realized. It meant without any special powers.

Okay… so how to get down there safely and make sure I had to get out again if necessary.

I thought about the kite strings and Swords above. It was crazy thinking, but I started coming up with an idea how I can use them.

I climbed back to the basement and started to get to work. My hands seemed to know exactly what to do. Sometimes that happened, like when I was helping Leo with the ship's machinery or drawing architectural plans on the computers. Percy even use to complain when we were kids that I sometimes zone out everything around me, as if my brain went into autopilot mode. I never made anything out of kite string and plastic swords, but it seemed easy, natural. Within minutes I'd used a dozen balls of string and a crateful of swords to create a makeshift rope ladder—a braided line, woven for strength yet not to thick, with swords tied at two foot intervals to serve as hand-and-foot holds.

As a test, I tied one end around a support column and leaned on the rope with all my weight. The plastic swords bent under me, but they provide some extra bulk to the knots in the cord, so at least I could keep a better grip.

The ladder wouldn't win any design awards, but it might get me to the bottom on the cavern safely. First, I stuffed my backpack with the leftover spools of string. I wasn't sure why, but they were one more resource and not too heavy.

I headed back to the hole in the mosaic floor. I secured one end of the ladder to the nearest piece of scaffolding, lowered the rope into the cavern, and shinnied down.


	34. Annabeth's POV Part X

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part X**

As I hung in air, descending hand over hand with the ladder swinging wildly, I thanked Chiron for all those years of training on the climbing course at Camp Half-Blood. I'd complained loudly and often that rope climbing would never help me defeat a monster. Chiron had just smiled, like he knew this day would come.

Finally made it to the bottom. I missed the brickwork edge and landed in the canal, but it turned out to be only a few inches deep. Freezing water soaked into my running shoes.

I held up my glowing dagger. The shallow channel ran down the middle of a brickwork tunnel. Every few yards, ceramic pipes jutted from the walls. I guessed that the pipes were drains, part of the ancient Roman plumbing system, though it was amazing to me that a tunnel like this had survived, crowded underground with all the other centuries worth of pipes, basements, and sewers.

It also reminded me of the tunnels and maze of the Labyrinth, which made me feel uneasy.

 _Relax, the Labyrinth died when Daedalus sacrificed himself,_ I told myself. And yet I worried that it might not be true. What if the older parts of the museum survived the collapse. What if the Labyrinth could regenerate itself like the monsters?

What if this tunnel was part of the Labyrinth?

I quickly push that thought aside, but to be safe I did tie a new ball of string to the end of my rope ladder so that if I get lost as I unravel it anywhere I go, I can go back. It's the oldest simplest trick but as Frank reminded me: sometimes it's best to think simple.

Once the string was secured, I started debating which way to go. The tunnel seemed the same directions. Then, about fifty feet to my left, the Mark of Athena blazed against the wall. I could swear it was glaring at me with those big fiery eyes, as if to say _What's your problem? Hurry up!_

I'm seriously starting to hate that owl.

By the time I reached the spot, the image had faded, and I'd run out of string.

I was about to add another string when a thought occurred to me. The mark was my Amaltheia.

A few years ago, Zeus' immortal goat mommy—Amaltheia showed up during Percy's and my quest in the labyrinth and guided us through the Labyrinth to the forges of Hephaestus. According to Percy, Amaltheia had a tendency to teleport herself when guiding demigods—normally children of Zeus—and reappear further away until she reaches the destination the demigod is supposed to be. And from what I seen, Amaltheia can be rather annoying about it sometimes too.

What if the trails from the statue was like that? The closer you get to the mark of Athena, it disappears just to show up somewhere else, and it'll keep doing that until I reach my destination—Athena's Parthenos. I felt stupid for not thinking about it earlier, and normally I don't like it when I feel stupid, but this time I'm too curious to see if my theory is true.

I quickly attach a new line and looked down the tunnel. There was a broken section in the brickwork, as if a sledge hammer had knocked a hole in the wall. I crossed to take a look. Sticking my dagger through the opening for light, I could see a lower chamber, long chamber, long and narrow, with a mosaic floor, painted walls, and benches running down either side. It was shaped sort of like a subway car.

I stuck my head into the hole, hoping nothing would bite it off. At the near end of the room was a bricked-off doorway. At the far end was a stone table, or maybe an altar.

 _Find the altar of the foreign god_ , I remembered Tiberinus told me.

Well, if this was an altar, I found it. Even if I was wrong, it seems to be a short drop onto the bench below, so I should be able to climb out again with no problem.

Still holding onto my string, I lowered myself down.

The room's ceiling was barrel-shaped with brick arches, but I didn't like the look of the supports. Even before I became official architect of Olympus, I studied them so long to identify structural flaws that could cause buildings to collapse. Judging from the halfway cracked capstone in the arch nearest to the bricked in doorway and the stress fractures in across the ceiling, I doubt this place will last another two thousand years, or with my luck—two minutes.

The floor was a long narrow mosaic with seven pictures in a row, like a time line. At my feet was a raven. Next was a lion. Several others looked like Roman warriors with various weapons. The rest were too damaged or covered in dust for me to make out the details. The benches on either side were littered with broken pottery. The walls were painted with scenes of a banquet: a robbed man with a curved cap like an ice cream scoop, sitting next to a larger guy who radiated sunbeams. Standing around them were torchbearers and servants, and various animals like crows and lions wandered in the background. I wasn't sure what the picture represents, nor did it remind me of any Greek legends I heard of.

At the far end of the room, the altar was elaborately carved with a frieze showing a man with the ice-cream-scoop hat holding a knife to the neck of a bull. On the altar stood a stone figure of a man sunk to his knees in rock, a dagger and a torch in his outraised hands. Again, I had no idea what those images meant.

I took one step toward the altar and my foot went _CRUNCH_. I look down and realized I'd just step on a human rib cage.

I swallowed back my scream. I had no idea where that came from. I just looked there a moment ago and there were no bones. But now the floor was littered with them. The rib cage was obviously. It crumbled to dust as I removed my foot. Nearby lay a corroded bronze dagger very much like my own. Either this dead person had been carrying a weapon, or it had killed him.

I held out my blade to see what was in front of me. The floor was littered with skeletons from different people. Some of them had daggers, but most skulls looked like they were used as a torch. I'm guessing each of these skeletons belonged to my siblings who died down here.

I looked back at the altar statue, which held a dagger and a torch.

This some kind of test. That much I can figure. Only problem is that judging by the skeletons, I can't figure out what was the test. Still, I can't let that dampen my mood.

"I will not be another skeleton on your floor," I called out to the statue, hoping I sounded brave.

 _A girl,_ said a watery voice, echoing through the room. _Girls are not allowed._

 _A female demigod,_ said a second voice. _Inexcusable._

The chamber rumbled Dust fell from the cracked ceiling as some seem to have deepened enough that if I threw one of those corroded knives, I bet it would fall on me. In fact, how it's still standing is beyond me, but I didn't want to stay to find out.

I bolted for the hole I'd come through, but it had disappeared. My string had been severed. I clambered up on the bench and pounded on the wall where the hole had been, hoping the hole absence was just an illusion, but the wall felt solid.

I was trapped.

Along the benches, a dozen ghosts shimmered into existence—glowing purple men in Roman togas, like the Lares I'd seen at Camp Jupiter. They glared at me as if I'd interrupted their meeting.

I did the only thing I could. I stepped down from the bench and put my back to the brick-in doorway, where a skeleton remains with—believe it or not—another corroded dagger sat. I tried to look confident, though the scowling purple ghost and the demigod skeletons at my feet made me want to turtle in my T-shirt and scream.

Instead I tightened the grip on my own dagger—one of the last items that were part of Hal's legacy. Percy once told me that it was a gift to Hal from the girl he saved that protected him up until Hal gave it to Luke.

As crazy as it sounds, I actually believed it. I survived battles that should have killed me with this dagger alone. I just hope it continues doing that.

"I'm a child of Athena," I said, as boldly as I could manage.

"A Greek," one of the ghosts said with disgust. "That is even worse."

At the other end of the chamber, an old-looking ghost rose with some difficulty as if he had arthritis. I didn't even think ghost can get arthritis. He stood by the altar, his dark eyes fixed on me. My first thought was that he looked like a pope. He had a glittering robe, a pointed hat, and a shepherd's crook.

"This is the cavern of Mithras," said the old ghost. "You have disturbed our sacred rituals. You cannot look upon our mysteries and live."

"I don't want to look upon your mysteries," I assured him. "I'm following the Mark of Athena. Show me the exit, and I'll be on my way."

My voice sounded calm, which surprised me. I had no idea how to get out of here, but I knew I had to succeed where my siblings had to failed. My path led farther on—deeper into the underground layers of Rome.

 _The failures of your predecessors will guide you,_ Tiberinus had told me. _After that… I do not know._

The ghosts mumbled to each other in Latin. I caught a few unkind words about female demigods and Athena.

Finally, the ghost with the pope hat struck his shepherd's crook against the floor. The other Lares fell silent.

"Your Greek goddess is powerless here," said the pope. "Mithras is the god of Roman warriors! He is the god of the legion, the god of the empire!"

He wasn't even Roman," I protested. "Wasn't he, like, Persian or something?"

"Sacrilege!" the old man yelped, banging his staff on the floor a few more times. "Mithras protects us! I am the _pater_ of this brotherhood—"

"The father," I translated.

"Do not interrupt! As _pater_ , I must protect our mysteries."

"What mysteries?" I asked. "A dozen dead guys in togas sitting around in a cave?"

The ghosts muttered and complained, until the _pater_ got them under control with a taxicab whistle. The old guy had a good set of lungs, and it helped that the room echoed the sound. "You clearly an unbeliever. Like the others, you must die."

 _The others,_ I made an effort not to look at the skeletons.

My mind worked furiously, grasping for anything I knew about Mithras. He had a secret cult for warriors. He was popular in the legion, which is why the Romans adopted him just as they adopted the Greek gods. He was also one of the gods who supplanted Athena as a war deity. Aphrodite also mention him during our teatime chat in Charleston. Aside from that, I had no idea. Mithras just wasn't one of the gods they talked about at Camp Half-Blood. I doubted the ghost would wait while I whipped out Daedalus's laptop and did a search.

However, I know I was destined for this quest for a reason. Why I am destined to find Athena's Parthenos to prove myself as one of the seven.

 _You've got your intelligence_ , the voice from before repeated in my head. I could swear it sounded like my mom, but if Athena is still angry with me, why would she help me? Does she know the real reason I'm looking for Athena's Parthenos? Did she forgive me after coming this far? Did Percy pray to my mom to help me even after I gave up? I don't know, but if it was my mom, I'll take her advice once more.

 _All right, then let's see how it can help me,_ I thought.

I scanned the floor mosaic—seven pictures in a row. I studied the ghosts, and noticed all of them wore some sort of badge on their togas—a raven, or a torch, or a bow. Maybe they were to show ranks or rites of passage.

I remember from Percy's story back in Camp Jupiter that he went through a similar procedure going from probatio to Legionaire in a day, and then within a week the Romans promoted him to Praetor. I also know that Frank's centurion badge was referred to another rank.

It may be a long shot, but I don't have any other options or guesses.

"You have rites of passage," I blurted out. "Seven levels of membership. And the top level is the _pater_."

The ghost let out a collective gasp. Then they all began shouting at once.

"How does she know this?"

"The girl has gleaned our secrets!"

"Silence!" the _pater_ ordered.

"But she might about the ordeals!" one cried.

"The ordeals!" I said. "I know them."

Another round of incredulous gasping.

"Ridiculous!" the _pater_ yelled. "The girl lies! Daughter of Athena, choose your way of death. If you do not choose, the god will choose for you!"

"Fire or dagger," I guessed like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which really it turned out was with that statue and the remains of my siblings that failed.

Even the _pater_ looked stunned, as if he never thought that the skeletons were a dead giveaway, or the fact that he might have not noticed it at all.

"How—how did you…" He gulped. "Who _are_ you?"

"A child of Athena," I said again. "But not just any child. I'm the greatest child of Athena over all. Nothing you can hide that I don't know. Not even Mithras can hide things from me!"

"The greatest over all!" one gasped.

"Kill her!" One ghost charged, but his hands that was meant to strangle me just pass right through me.

"You're dead," I reminded him. "Sit down."

The ghost looked embarrassed and took his seat.

"We do not need to kill you ourselves," the _pater_ growled. "Mithras shall do that for us!"

The statue on the altar began to glow.

I pressed my hands against the brick-in doorway at my back. That _had_ to be the exit. The mortar was crumbling, but it the cracks didn't expand this time. I might be wrong about the corroded blade theory.

I looked desperately around the room—the cracks in the ceiling, the skeletons with daggers, the floor mosaic, the wall paintings and the carved altar. I began to talk, pulling deductions from the top of my head, while I planned for my best escape options.

"It is no good," I said. "I know all. You test your initiatives with fire because the torch is the symbol of Mithras. His other symbol is the dagger, which is why you can also be tested with the blade. You want to kill me, just as… uh, as Mithras killed the sacred bull."

Okay, I'll admit, that was more of an educated guess. But the altar showed Mithras killing a bull, so I figured it must be important. The ghost wailed and covered their ears. Some slapped their faces as if to wake up from a bad dream.

"The great one knows!" one said. "It is impossible!"

Unless you look around the room, I thought as my confidence grew.

I glared at the ghost who had just spoken. He had a raven badge on his toga—the same symbol as on the floor at my feet.

"You are just a raven," I scolded as I grabbed the corroded knife next to the skeleton beside me with my free hand. "That is the lowest rank which means you must not be as great as the rest. So unless you want to find out what a great demigod as myself can do two daggers instead of one, be silent and let me speak to your _pater_."

The ghost cringed without noticing the one I just grabbed is corroded. "Mercy! Mercy!"

The other ghost backed up from their seats, as if afraid to see what I can do with a corroded dagger—as if forgetting for the time being that they were dead. I just hope I can keep this up.

At the front of the room, the _pater_ trembled—either from rage or fear, I wasn't sure which. His pope hat tilted sideways on his head like a gas gauge dropping toward empty. "Truly, you know much, great one. Your wisdom is indeed great, but that is all the more reason why you cannot leave. The weaver warned us you would come."

"The weaver…" I realized with a sinking feeling that the _pater_ was talking about the guardian of the shrine that Percy and I been dreaming. This was the one time I wished I _didn't_ know the answer, but I tried to maintain calm. "The weaver fears me. She doesn't want me to follow the Mark of Athena. But you will let me pass."

"You must choose an ordeal from the statue!" the _pater_ insisted. "Will you choose the dagger, since you picked that up, or would you rather go with the torch. If you survive either one, I might consider."

I looked down at the bones of my siblings. _The failures of your predecessors will guide you._

They'd a chosen one or the other: fire or dagger. Maybe they'd thought they could beat the ordeal. But they had died. At least the _pater_ is giving me a chance to make a final decision, because I'll need a third choice.

I stared at the altar statue, which was glowing brighter by the second. I could feel its heat across the room. My instinct was to focus on the dagger or the torch, but instead I concentrated on the statue's base. I wondered why its legs were stuck in stone. That's when it occurred to me that maybe the little statue of Mithras wasn't _stuck_ in the rock. Maybe he was _emerging_ from the rock.

"Neither torch nor dagger I said firmly sheathing my own dagger and hid the other one behind my back. "There is a third test, which I will pass."

"A third test?" the _pater_ demanded.

"Mithras was born from rock," I said, hoping I was right. "He emerged fully grown from the stone, holding his dagger and torch."

The screaming and wailing told me I guessed correctly

"The great one knows all!" a ghost cried. "That is our most closely guarded secret!"

 _Then maybe you shouldn't put a statue of it on your altar,_ I thought. But I was thankful for stupid male ghost. If they'd let women warriors into their cult, they might have learned some common sense.

"Mithras may have been born from stone, but I have control over the stones," I raised the corroded knife I picked up earlier. "I will prove my power is greater than Mithras. With a single strike, I will bring down this chamber.

The ghost wailed and trembled and looked at the ceiling, but I knew they didn't see what I saw. Unlike the Roman demigods at Camp Jupiter, these warrior ghost were not engineers. The children of Athena had many skills, and not just in combat. I could tell this ancient chamber was on a verge to collapsed and the earlier shakings made the stress fractures worse. If I had estimated correctly, the weakest point is the stone arch right above me. I just had to time it correctly and hope my estimation earlier that a corroded knife bringing it down is correct.

"Impossible!" the _pater_ shouted. "The weaver has paid us much tribute to destroy any children of Athena who would dare enter our shrine. We have never let her down. We cannot let you pass."

"Then you fear my power!" I said. "You admit that I could destroy your sacred chamber!"

The _pater_ scowled. He straightened his hat uneasily. I knew I'd put him in an impossible position. He couldn't back down without looking cowardly.

"Do your worst, child of Athena," he decided. "No one can bring down the cavern of Mithras, especially with one strike. Especially not a girl!"

I hefted the corroded dagger. The ceiling was low. I could reach the capstone easily, but I'd have to make my one strike count, because I had a feeling even if I used a proper dagger, that stone could break celestial bronze.

The doorway behind me was still blocked, but in theory if the room started to collapse, those bricks should weaken and crumble. I _should_ be able to burst my way through before the entire ceiling came down—assuming, of course, that there was something behind the brick wall, not just solid earth; and assuming that I was quick and strong and luck enough. Otherwise, I was about to be a demigod pancake.

"Well, boys," I said. "Look like you chose the wrong war god."

 _Please be right_ , I prayed as I struck the capstone right at the center point of the fissures with all my might. The corroded blade shattered like a sugar cube. For a moment, nothing happened.

"Ha!" the _pater_ gloated. "You see? Athena has no power here!"

The room shook. A fissure ran across the length of the ceiling and the far end of the cavern collapsed, burying the altar and the _pater_. More cracks widened. Bricks fell from the arches. Ghost screamed and ran, but they couldn't seem to pass through walls. Apparently they were bound to this chamber even in death. But I wasn't.

I turned and slammed against the blocked entrance with all m might, and the bricks gave way. As the cavern of Mithras imploded behind me, I lunged into darkness and found myself falling.


	35. Annabeth's POV Part XI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XI**

I thought I knew pain. I'd fallen off the lava wall at Camp Half-Blood. The Cyclopes Polyphemus had knocked me out and almost broke every bone once. I had even held the weight of the sky on my shoulders.

But those were nothing compared to landing hard on my ankle.

I immediately knew I'd broken it. Pain like a hot steel wire jabbed its way up my leg and into my hip. The world narrowed to just me, my ankle, and the agony.

I almost blacked out. My head spun. My breath became short and rapid.

 _No,_ I told myself. _You can't go into shock._

I tried to breathe more slowly. I lay as still as possible until the pain subsided from absolute torture to just horrible throbbing.

A part of me wanted to howl in pain to the world for being so unfair. All this way, just to be stopped by something as common as a broken ankle?

I forced my emotions back down. At camp, I'd been trained to survive in all sorts of bad situations, _including_ injuries like this.

I unsheathed my dagger, which amazingly didn't stab me when I crash landed. I found myself grateful that I decided to borrowed one of my fallen siblings' daggers instead of risk breaking the one I had since I was seven.

I used the dim light from my dagger to try and make out the features of the room. I was lying on a cold floor of sandstone blocks. The ceiling was two stories tall. The doorway through—which I'd fallen from—was ten feet off the ground, which was now completely blocked off by debris that had cascaded into the room, making a rockslide. Shattered around me were old pieces of lumber—some cracked and desiccated, others broken into kindling.

 _Stupid,_ I scolded to myself. I'd lunched through that doorway, assuming there would be a level corridor or another room. It didn't occur to me that I'd be tumbling into space. The lumber probably was once part of a staircase that long ago collapsed.

I inspected my ankle. My foot didn't appear too strangely bent. I could feel my toes. I didn't see any blood. That was good.

I reached out for a piece a lumber and yelped in pain.

Okay, so I won't be able to make any movements until I eat some ambrosia. Before anything though, I should prioritize my situation.

I remembered the wilderness survival course Grover had taught Percy and me back in camp. We use to think it was silly—especially after what we went through traveling with Thalia and Luke. Now it didn't seem so silly.

The first step was to scan my surroundings for immediate threats.

This room didn't seem to be in danger of collapsing. The rockslide had stopped. The walls were solid blocks of stone with no major cracks that I could see. The ceiling was not sagging. All good signs.

The only exit was on the far wall—an arched doorway that led into darkness. Between the doorway and me, a small brickwork trench cut across the floor, letting water flow through the room from left to right. Maybe plumbing from the Roman days? If the water was drinkable, that was good too.

Piled in once corner were some broken ceramic vases spilled out shriveled brown clumps that might have been once fruit. Yuck. In another corner were some wooden crates that looked more intact, and some wicker boxes bound with leather straps.

"So, no immediate danger," I said to myself. "Okay, next step: take inventory."

What could I use? I had my water bottle, and more water in that trench if I could reach it. I had my dagger which was still in good condition. My backpack was full of colorful string (whee), my laptop, the bronze map, some matches, a jar of myrmekes gunk, and some ambrosia for emergencies.

If this wasn't an emergency, I don't know what is. I dug the godly food out of my pack and wolfed it down as much as I could without the side effects.

As usual, it tasted like comforting memories. This time it was buttered popcorn—movie night with my dad at his place in San Francisco, no step mom, no half-brothers, just my father and me curled up on the sofa watching sappy old romantic comedies.

The ambrosia warmed my whole body. The pain in my leg dulled enough where the throbbing pain wasn't so bad. I knew I was still in major trouble. Even ambrosia couldn't heal broken bones right away. It might speed up the process, but best-case scenario, I wouldn't be able to put any weight on my foot for a day or more.

Okay, what's next? Grover's survival class had mention about staying put and waiting for rescue, but that wasn't going to happen. Even if Percy somehow managed to trace my steps, the cavern of Mithras had collapsed.

I considered using on of the apps on Daedalus' laptop to turn it into a cellphone, and contact someone, but I quickly turn that down. I'm underground and if there's one thing I know about underground places is that monsters love living down here. And considering that when a demigod uses cellphones we send a signal that catches monster's attention, it wasn't a great idea.

Iris-message was out too since the only coin I had was the Mark of Athena, which wasn't a great tribute. Besides, I doubt I can make enough light with my dagger in the water to make a rainbow.

Besides, this was supposed to be a solo quest. If I do get rescued before I reach Athena's Parthenos and liberate it, I'll be admitting defeat and it won't look good since this is supposed to be my test as one of the prophecy of seven. Maybe after I liberate the statue, I can call for help, but for now I'm on my own.

I opened my water bottle and drank. I didn't even realize how thirsty I was until the bottle was empty. Then I crawled to the gutter—which caused a stabbing pain from my ankle—and refilled it.

The water was cold and moving swiftly—good signs that it might be safe to drink. I filled my bottle, then cupped some water in my hands and splashed my face. Immediately I felt more alert. I washed off and clean my scrapes as best as I could.

Then I sat up and glared at my ankle.

"You _had_ to break," I scolded.

The ankle did not reply.

I'll have to immobilize it in some kind of cast. That way I'd be able to move.

Hmm…

I raised my dagger and inspected the room again in its bronze light. Now that I was closer to the open doorway, I liked it even less. It led into a dark silent corridor. The air wafting out smelled sickly sweet and somehow evil. Unfortunately, I didn't see any other way in or out of this place.

With a lot of gasping and blinking back tears, I crawled over to the wreckage of the stairs. Most of the lumber I picked up crumbled in my hands, but I did manage to find two planks that were in fairly good shape and long enough for a splint. Then I scooted over to the wicker boxes and used my knife to cut off the leather straps.

While I was psyching myself up to immobilize my ankle, I noticed some faded words on one of the wooden crates: HERMES EXPRESS.

I scooted toward the box.

I had no idea what it was doing here, but Hermes delivered all sorts of useful stuff to gods, spirits, and even demigods. Maybe he'd dropped this care package here years ago to help demigods like me on this quest.

 _Hermes, if I find anything in this crate I can use, I'll forgive you for everything I blamed you for,_ I prayed.

I pried it open and pulled out several sheets of Bubble Wrap, but whatever had been inside was gone.

"Hermes!" I protested wanting to take back what I just said.

I stared glumly at the Bubble Wrap. Then my mind kicked into gear, and I realized the wrapping _was_ a gift.

"Alright, you win," I mumbled to Hermes.

I covered my broken ankle in a Bubble Wrap cast. I set it with the lumber splints and tied it all together with the leather straps.

When we were kids, during first aid practice, I'd splinted a fake broken leg for Percy (which wasn't easy at the time because Percy refused to be an easy fake patient to treat), but I never imagined I have to make a splint for myself.

It was hard, painful work, but finally it was done. I searched the wreckage of the stairs for anything I can use for a crutch. Finally, I found a narrow board about four feet long—I would guess that it was part of a railing. I put my back against the wall, got my good leg ready, and hauled myself up.

"Whoa." Black spots danced in my eyes, but I stayed upright.

"Next time," I muttered to the dark room, "just let me fight a monster. They're much easier."

Above the open doorway, the Mark of Athena blazed to life against the arch.

The fiery owl seemed to be watching me expectantly as if to say: _About time. Oh, you want monsters? Right this way!_

If it wasn't for the fact that I started comparing the Mark of Athena to Amaltheia, I would be really annoyed or started thinking it might have been based off a real sacred owl (which probably was). Instead it lifted my spirits.

I made it across the trench and hobbled slowly into the corridor.


	36. Annabeth's POV Part XII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XII**

The tunnel ran straight and smooth, but after my fall, I decided to take no chances. I used the wall for support and tapped the floor in front of me with my crutch to make sure there were no traps.

As I walked, there was that sickly sweet smell that grew stronger and set my nerves on edge. The sound of running water faded behind me. In its place came a dry chorus of whispers like a million tiny voices. They seemed to be coming from inside the walls, and they were getting louder.

I tried to speed up, but I couldn't go much faster without losing my balance or jarring my broken ankle. I hobbled onward, convinced that something was following me. The small voices were massing together, getting closer.

I touched the wall, and my hand came back covered in cobwebs.

Naturally, I yelped when I saw the cobwebs. Then I cursed myself for making a sound.

It's only a web, I told myself. But that didn't stop the roaring in my ears.

I expected spiders. I knew what was ahead: _The weaver. Her Ladyship. The voice in the dark._ Heck I knew before I even came down the hole from the storage room. But the webs made me realize how close I was.

My hand trembled as I wiped it on the stones. What was I thinking? There was no way I could do this alone.

But it was too late, I told myself. I just have to keep going.

I made my way down the corridor one painful step at a time. The whispering sound got louder behind me until the sounded like millions of dried leaves swirling in the wind. The cobwebs became thicker, filling the tunnel. Soon I was pushing them out of my face, ripping through gauzy curtains that covered me like Silly String.

My heart wanted to break out of my chest and run. I stumbled ahead more recklessly, trying to ignore the pain in my ankle.

Finally, the corridor ended in a doorway filled waist high with old lumber. It looked as if someone had tried to barricade the opening. That didn't bode me well, but I used my crutch to push away as much boards as I could. I crawled over the remaining pile getting a few dozen splinters in my free hand.

On the other side of the barricade was a chamber the size of a basketball court. The floor was done in Roman mosaics, of course. The remains of tapestries hung from the walls. Two unit torches sat in wall scones on either side of the doorway, both covered in cobwebs.

At the far end of the room, the Mark of Athena burned over another doorway. Unfortunately, between me and that exit, the floor was bisected by a chasm fifty feet across. Spanning the pit were two parallel wooden beams, too far apart for both feet, but each too narrow to walk on unless I was an acrobat, which I wasn't, and didn't have a broken ankle, which I did.

The corridor I'd come from was filled with hissing noises. Cobwebs trembled and danced as the first of the spiders appeared: no larger than gumdrops, but plumped and black, skittering over the walls and floor.

I had no idea what kind of spiders they were, only that they were coming for me, and I only had seconds to figure out a plan.

I wanted to sob. I wanted someone, _anyone_ , to be here for me. I wanted Leo with his fire powers, or Jason with his lightning, or Hazel to collapsed the tunnel. Most of all, I wanted Percy. I always felt braver when Percy was with me.

 _Please be safe,_ I remember the last thing Percy told me as he clutched my hand before I left with Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia. _Come back._

I promised Percy that I would come back to him and our friends, and that no spider will stop me.

I remembered during my last family visit in Boston, a spider was crawling toward my cousin Magnus and me in our uncle's yard near a statue of a viking. I was petrified I didn't know what to do, but Magus took out a match box he _borrowed_ from Uncle Randolph and used it to lit a match and somehow used it to scare the spider away by setting ablaze of it's nest before I put it out before it could burn anything.

I never could understand how Magnus was able to wave a match around without being burned himself, but at the time I was just glad Magnus did that as it scared away the spider.

That's when an idea hit me. But for this plan to work, I'll need something bigger than a match.

The first spiders were almost to the door. Behind them came the bulk of the army—a black sea of creepy-crawlies.

I hobbled to one of the walls scones and snatched up a torch. The end was coated in pitch for easy lighting. My fingers felt like lead, but I rummaged through m backpack and found the matches. I struck one and set the torch ablaze.

I thrust it into the barricade. The old dry wood caught immediately. Flames leaped to the cobwebs and roared down the corridor in a flash fire, roasting spiders by the thousands.

I stepped back from my bonfire, but I doubted I'd killed all of the spiders. They would regroup and swarm again as soon as the fire died.

I stepped to the edge of the chasm.

I shined my light into the pit, but I couldn't see the bottom. Jumping in would be suicide. I could try to cross one of the bars hand over hand, but I didn't trust my arm strength, and I didn't see how I would be able to haul myself up with a full backpack and a broken ankle once I reach the other side.

I crouch and studied the beams. Each had a set of iron eyes hooks along the inside, set at one-foot intervals. Maybe the rails had been the sides of a bridge and the middle planks had been removed or destroyed. But eye hooks? Those weren't for supporting planks. More like…

I glance at the walls. The same kind of hooks had been used to hang the shredded tapestries.

I realized the beams weren't meant as a bridge. They were some kind of loom.

I threw my flaming torch to the other side of the chasm. I had no faith that my plan would work, but I pulled all the string out of my backpack and began weaving between the beams, stringing a cat's cradle pattern back and forth from eye hook to eye hook, doubling and tripling the line.

My hands moved with blazing speed. I stopped thinking about the task and just did it, looping and tying off lines, slowly extending my woven net over the pit.

I forget the pain in my leg and the fiery barricade guttering out behind me. I inched over the chasm. The weaving held my weight. Before I knew it, I was halfway across.

I don't know how I know how to do this. My guess is that it's because of Athena. My mother's skill with useful crafts. Weaving had never seemed particularly useful to me—until now.

I glanced back and saw that my barricade fire was dying. A few spiders crawled in around the edges of the doorway.

Desperately I continued weaving, and finally I made it across. I snatched up the torch and thrust it into my woven bridge. Flames raced along the string. Even the beams caught fire as they'd been pre-soaked in oil.

For a moment, the bridge burned in a clear pattern—a fiery rows of identical owls. Had I really woven them into the string, or was it some kind of magic? I didn't know, but as the spiders began to cross, the beams crumbled and collapsed into the pit.

I held my breath. I didn't see any reason why the spiders couldn't reach me by climbing the walls or ceilings. If they started to do that, I'd have to run for it, and I was pretty sure I couldn't fast enough.

For some reason, the spiders didn't follow. They massed at the edge of the it—a seething black carpet of creepiness. Then they dispersed, flooding back into the burned corridor, almost as if I was no longer interesting.

"Or I passed a test," I said aloud.

My torch sputtered out, leaving me with only the light of my dagger. I realized that I'd left my makeshift crutch on the other side of the chasm.

I felt exhausted and out of tricks, but my mind was clear. My panic seemed to have burned up along with that woven bridge.

 _The weaver_ , I thought. I must be close, and I know what was waiting ahead of me.

I made my way down to the next corridor, hoping to keep the weight off my bad foot.

I didn't have far to go.

After twenty feet, the tunnel opened into a cavern as large as a cathedral, so majestic that I had trouble processing everything I saw. I guessed that this was the room from Percy's dream vision, but it wasn't dark. I would guess either Percy wasn't allowed to see what really was in it or that the guardian kept it dark when talking to the giant twins. Either way, the site was now what I expect.

Bronze braziers of magical light, like the gods used on Mount Olympus, glowed around the circumference of the room, interspersed with gorgeous tapestries. The stone floor was webbed with fissures like a sheet of ice. The ceiling was so high, it was lost in the gloom and layers upon layers of spider webs.

Strands of silk as thick as pillars ran from the ceiling all over the room, anchoring the walls and the floor like the cables of a suspension bridge.

Webs also surrounded the centerpiece of the shrine, which was so intimidating that I had trouble raising my eyes to look at it. Looming over me was a forty-foot-tall statue of Athena, which luminous ivory skin and a dress of gold. In her outstretched hand, Athena held a statue of Nike, the winged goddess of victory—a statue that looked tiny from here, but was probably as tall as a real person. Athena's other hand rested on a shield as big as a billboard, with a sculpted snake peeking out from behind, as if Athena was protecting it.

The goddess' face was serene and kindly… and it _looked_ like my mom. I see many statues that didn't resemble my mom at all, but this giant version, made thousands of years ago, made me think that the artist must have met Athena in person. He had captured her perfectly.

"Athena Parthenos," I murmured. "It's really here."

All my life, I wanted to visit the Parthenon. Now I was seeing the main attraction that _used_ to be there—and I was the first child of Athena to do so in millennia.

I realized my mouth was hanging open. I forced myself to swallow. I could have stood there all day looking at the statue, but I had only accomplished half of my mission. Now that I found the Athena Parthenos, I need to rescue it from this cavern. But how?

Strands of web covered t like a gauze pavilion. I suspected that without these webs, the statue would have fallen through the weakened floor long ago. As I stepped into the room, I could see that the cracks below were so wide, I could have lost my foot in them. Beneath the cracks, I saw nothing but empty darkness.

A chill washed over me. Where was the guardian? How could I free the statue without collapsing the floor? I couldn't very well shove the Athena's Parthenos down the corridor that I come from.

I scanned the chamber, hoping to see something that might help. My eyes wandered over the tapestries, which were heart-wrenching beautiful. One showed a pastoral scene so three-dimensional, it could've been a window. Another tapestry showed the gods battling the giants. I saw a landscape of the Underworld. Next to it was the skyline of modern Rome. And in the tapestry to my left…

I caught my breath. It was a portrait of Percy and me kissing underwater last summer at camp after our friends—minus the hunters who were at camp at the time recovering from the Battle of Manhattan—threw us into the canoe lake. It was so lifelike that I wondered if the weaver had been there, lurking in the lake with a waterproof camera.

"How is that possible?" I murmured.

Above me in the gloom, a voice spoke. "For ages I have known you would come, my sweet."

I shuddered. Suddenly I was seven years old again, either hiding under my covers, waiting for the spiders to attack me at night, or for my cousin to scare them off with matches.

The voice sounded just as Percy had described: an angry buzz in multiple tones, a female but not human.

In the web above the statue, something moved—something dark and large.

"I have seen you in my dreams," the voice said, sickly sweet and evil, like the smell in the corridors. "I had to make sure you were worthy, the _only_ child of Athena clever enough to pass my tests and reach this place alive. Indeed, you are her most talented child. This will make your death so much more painful to my old enemy when you _fail utterly_."

The pain in my ankle was nothing compare to the icy acid now filling my veins. I wanted to run. I wanted to plead for mercy. But I couldn't show weakness—not now.

"You're Arachne," I called out. "The weaver who was turned into a spider."

The figure descended, becoming clearer and more horrible. "Cursed by your mother," she said. "Scorned by all and made into hideous thing… because _I_ was the better weaver."

"But you lost the contest," I protested.

"That's the story written by the winner!" cried Arachne. "Look on my work! See for yourself!"

I didn't have to. The tapestries were the best I'd ever seen—better than the witch Circe's work, and, yes, even better than some weavings I'd seen on Mount Olympus. But even if what Arachne said was true, I know the gods don't punish someone for beating them unless they were insulted in the process. It doesn't matter even

"You've been guarding this statue since the ancient times," I guessed. "But it doesn't belong here. I'm taking it back."

"Ha," Arachne didn't sound convince not that I could blame here.

How could one girl in a Bubble Wrap ankle cast removed this huge statue from its underground chamber?

"I'm afraid you would have to defeat me first, my sweet," Arachne said. "And alas, that is impossible."

The creature appeared from the curtains of webbing, and I realized that my quest was hopeless I was about to die. Who was I trying to kid thinking I was one of the prophecy of seven.

Arachne had the body of a giant black widow, with a red hairy hourglass mark on the underside of her abdomen and a pair of oozing spinnerets. Her eight spindly legs were lined with curved barbs as big as my dagger. If the spider came any closer, her sweet stench alone would have been enough to make me faint. But the most horrible part was her misshapen face.

She might once have been a beautiful woman. Now black mandibles protruded from her mouth like tusks. Her other teeth had grown into thine white needles. Her eyes were large, lidless, and pure black, with two smaller eyes sticking out of her temples.

The creature made a violent _rip-rip-rip_ sound that might have been laughter.

"Now I will feast on you, my sweet," Arachne said. "But do not fear. I will make a beautiful tapestry depicting your death that will even shatter your boyfriend's stubborn will for Gaea."


	37. Leo's POV Part IX

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part IX**

I wish I wasn't so good.

Really, sometimes it was just embarrassing. If I hadn't had such an eye for mechanical stuff, we might never found the secret chute, gotten lost in the underground, and attacked by metal dudes. But I just couldn't help myself.

Part of it was Hazel's fault. I understand why she was made quest leader in our recon quest—a perfect chance for her to step as a daughter of one of the Big Three by finding leads to her missing brother. But for a girl with super underground senses, she wasn't doing a good here in Rome. She kept leading us around the city, getting dizzy, and doubling back.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just… there's so much underground here, so many layers, it's overwhelming. Like standing in the middle of an orchestra trying to concentrate on a single instrument. I'm going deaf."

As a result, we got a tour of Rome. Frank seemed happy to plod along with a big sheepdog (hmm, I wonder if he could turn into one of those, or even better: a horse that I could ride). But I started to get impatient. My feet were sore, the day was sunny and hot, and the streets were choked with tourists.

The forum was okay, but it was mostly ruins overgrown with bushes and trees. It took a lot of imagination to see it as the bustling center of Ancient Rome—or in my case, seen a similar model in New Rome back in California.

We passed big churches, freestanding arches, clothing stores, fast-food restaurants, and believe it or not Pizza vending machines (I didn't even know there was such a thing). One of the statue of some Ancient Roman dude seemed to be pointing to a nearby McDonalds, which according to Hazel and Frank could just be a coincidence.

On the wider streets, the traffic was absolutely nuts. They spent most of their time weaving through small alleys, coming across fountains and little cafés where I was not allowed to rest. And here I thought people in _Houston_ drove crazy.

"I never thought I'd get to see Rome," Hazel said. "When I was alive, I mean the first time, Mussolini was in charge. We were at war."

"Mussolini?" I frowned. "Wasn't he like BFFs with Hitler?"

Hazel stared at me like was an alien.

"It's an acronym for Best Friends Forever," Frank grunted.

"Oh… Yeah, I would guess," Hazel replied. "I do know they were fighting for the same side. Anyways, if it wasn't for—you know—I would love to visit some of the sites. Like the Trevi Fountain."

"There's a fountain on every block," I grumbled.

"Or the Spanish Steps," Hazel said.

"Why would you come to Italy to see Spanish steps?" I asked. "That's like going to China for Mexican food, isn't it?"

"You're hopeless," Hazel complained.

"So I've been told."

She turned to Frank and grabbed his hand, as if I had ceased to exist. "Come on. I think we should go this way."

Frank gave me a confused smile—like he couldn't decide whether to gloat or to thanks me for being a doofus—but he cheerfully let Hazel drag him along.

After walking forever, Hazel stopped in front of what looked to me like a church. The main section was a big dome roof, while the entrance had a triangular roof. It had the typical Roman columns, and an inscription across the top: M. AGRIPPA something or other.

"Latin for _Get a grip_?" I speculated.

"This is our best bet." Hazel sounded more certain than she had all day. "There should be a secret passage somewhere inside."

Tour groups milled around the steps. Guides help up colored placards with different numbers and lectures in dozens of languages like they were playing some kind of international bingo.

I decided to listen to the Spanish tour guide for a few seconds—to show Frank and Hazel that I wasn't a complete doofus. Then after listening for a bit, I reported, "This is the Pantheon. It was originally build by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to the gods. After it burned down, Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it, and it's been standing for two thousand years. It's one of the best-preserved Roman buildings in the world."

Frank and Hazel stared at me."

"How did you know that?" Hazel asked.

"I'm naturally brilliant."

"Centaur's poop," Frank said. "He eavesdropped on a tour group."

I grinned. "Maybe. Come on. Let's go find that secret passage. I hope this place as air conditioning."

…

Well, there was no AC, but there weren't any lines inside or any admission fee either, so it was easy for three underage demigods to muscle our way past the tour groups and walked on in.

The interior was pretty impressive, considering it had been constructed two thousand years ago. The marble floor was patterned with squares and circles like a Roman tic-tac-toe game. The main space was one huge chamber with a circular rotunda, sort of like the capital building in the States. Lining the walls were different shrines and statues and tombs and stuff. But the real eye-catcher was the dome overhead. All the light in the building came from one circular opening right at the top. A beam of sunlight slanted into the rotunda and glowed on the floor, like Zeus—or I guess Jupiter since we are in the Roman Gods and personas territory—was up there with a magnifying glass, trying to fry puny humans.

I was no architect like Annabeth and her siblings from Cabin Six or anything about the sites of Ancient Rome without eavesdropping on a tour, but I could appreciate the engineering. The Romans had made the dome out of big stone panels, but they'd hollowed out each panel in a square-within-square pattern. It looked cool. I figured it also made the dome lighter and easier to support.

I didn't mention that to my friends. I doubted they would care, but if Annabeth were here, I won't be surprise if she would spend the whole day talking about it. Thinking about that made me wondered how she was doing on her Mark of Athena expedition. I never thought I'd feel this way, but I was worried about that scary blond girl. From what I understand, not many demigods that go on solo quest complete it and in this case survive.

Hazel stopped in the middle of the room and turned in a circle. "This is amazing. IN the old days, the children of Vulcan would come here in secret to consecrate demigod weapons. This is where Imperial gold was enchanted.

I wondered how that worked. I imagine a bunch of demigods in dark robes trying to quietly rolled a scorpion ballista through the front doors.

I didn't need to ask what god Vulcan was. Thanks to Jason, I know Vulcan was Hephaestus' Roman form. I met my dad once, and I wondered what Vulcan looked like compared to Hephaestus. I get he might be war like, but I wondered if the Romans thought of Vulcan as more or less disabled and beaten up than my dad is.

Meanwhile Hazel was focus on something else. "There's an entrance—a tunnel that will lead us toward Nico. I can sense it close by. I'm not sure where."

Frank grunted. "This building is two thousand years old, it makes sense there could be some kind of secret passage left over from the Roman days."

That's when I made my mistake of simply being too good.

I scanned the temple's interior. If I were designing a secret passage, where would I put it?

I could sometimes figure out how a machine worked by putting my hand on it. I'd learned to fly a helicopter that way. I'd helped Beckendorf put the wings on Festus that way when he was a dragon (before he crashed and burned0. Once I'd even reprogrammed the electronic billboards in Time Square to read: ALL DA LADIES LUV LEO… accidentally, of course. According to my big bro Beckendorf, it was a natural power of Hephaestus that we can use when needed.

Now I tried to sense the workings of this ancient building. I turned toward a red marble altar-looking thing with a statue of the Virgin Mary on the top.

"Over there," I said.

I marched confidently to the shrine. It was shaped sort of like a fireplace, with an arched recess at the bottom. The mantel was inscribed with a name, like a tomb.

"The passage is around here," I said. "This guy's final resting place is in the way. Raphael somebody?"

"Famous painter, I think," Hazel said.

I shrugged. I had a cousin named Raphael, and I didn't think much of the name. I wondered if I could produce a stick a dynamite from my tool belt and do a little discreet demolition. Even if I could, I doubt the caretakers of this place would approve it. Besides, I doubt the Roman demigods back in the states would not like me destroying one of the Original Rome's sacred places, and after having evil possessing spirits making me destroy New Rome, I don't want to give them a _real_ reason to hate me when this war is over.

"Hold on…" I looked around to make sure we weren't being watched.

Most of the tour groups were gawking at the dome, but one trio made me uneasy. About fifty feet away, some overweight middle-aged dudes with American accents were conversing loudly, complaining to each other about the heat. They looked like manatees stuffed into beach clothes—sandals, walking shorts, touristy T-shirts and floppy hats. Their legs were big and pasty and covered with spider veins. The guys acted extremely bored, and I wondered why they were hanging around.

Most importantly, I wondered why they were making me nervous.

 _Forget them_ , I told myself.

I slipped around the side of the tomb. I ran my hand down the back of the Roman column, all the way to the base. Right at the bottom, a series of lines that had been etched into the marble—Roman numerals.

"Heh," I said. "Not very elegant but effective."

"What is?" Frank asked.

"The combination for a lock." I felt around the back of the column some more and discovered a square hole about the size of an electrical socket. "The lock face itself has been ripped out—probably vandalized sometime in the last few centuries. But I should be able to control the mechanism inside, if I can…"

I placed my hand on the marble floor. I could sense old bronze gears under the surface of the stone. Regular bronze would have corroded and become unusable long ago, but these were Celestial bronze—the handiwork of a demigod. With a little willpower, I urged them to move, using the Roman numerals to guide me. The cylinders turned— _click, click, click._ Then _click, click._

On the floor next to the wall, one section of the marble tile slid under another, revealing a dark square opening barely large enough for even Hazel and myself to wiggle through.

"Romans must've been small." I looked at Hazel, "Can you shadow travel us down there?"

Hazel shook her head. "I don't even know if I can shadow travel. I never tried."

"Well, if the three of us need to go down there, Frank will need to change into a thinner animal," I replied.

"We should go get the others first," Frank said, "That's what Piper told us to do."

"They're halfway across the city," I reminded him. "Besides, uh, I'm not sure I can close this hatch again. The gears are pretty old."

"Great," Frank turned to Hazel. "What do you think we should do then?"

Hazel frowned like she was uncertain. She knelt and put her hand over the opening as if checking the temperature. "There's nothing alive… at least not for several hundred feet. The tunnel slants down, then level out and goes south, more or less. I don't sense any traps…"

"How can you tell all that?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Same way you can pick locks on marble columns, I guess. I'm glad you're not into robbing banks."

"Oh… Bank vaults," I said. "Never thought about that."

"Forget I said anything." Hazel checked the time. "It's not three o'clock yet. We can at least do a little exploring, try to pinpoint Nico's location before we contact the others. You two stay here until I call for you. I want to check things out, make sure the tunnel is structurally sound. I'll be able to tell more once I'm underground."

Frank scowled. "We can't let you go by yourself. You could get hurt."

"Frank, I can take care of myself," she said. "Underground is my specialty. It's safest for all of us if I go first."

"Unless Frank wants to turn into a mole," I suggested. "Or a prairie dog. Those things are awesome."

"Shut up," Frank mumbled.'

"Or a badger."

Frank jabbed a finger at my face. "Valdez, I swear—"

"Both of you, be quiet," Hazel scolded. "I'll be back soon. Give me ten minutes. If you don't hear from me by the… Never mind. I'll be fine. Just try not to kill each other while I'm down there."

I guess the hole was bigger than I thought because Hazel was able to drop down—that or she somehow made it bigger.

Frank and I blocked her from view as best as we could. We stood shoulder to shoulder, trying to look casual, like it was completely natural for two teenage guys to hang around Raphael's tomb.

Tour group came and went. Most ignored Frank and me. A few people glanced at us apprehensively and kept walking. Maybe the tourist thought we would ask them for tips. For some reason, I could unnerve people when I grinned.

The three Americans were still hanging out in the middle of the room. One of them wore a T-shirt that said ROMA, as if he'd forget what city he was in if he didn't wear it. Every once in a while, he would glance over at Frank and me like he found our presence distasteful.

Something about that dude bothered me. I wished Hazel would hurry up.

"She talked to me earlier," Frank said abruptly. "Hazel told me you figured out about my lifeline.

I stirred. I almost forgotten Frank was standing next to me.

"Your lifeline… oh, the Menelaus curse. Right." I resisted the urge to set my hand ablaze and yell: _Bwah ha ha!_ The idea was sort of funny, but even I wasn't that cruel.

"Look, man," I said. "It's cool. I'd never do anything to put you in danger, and I won't blame you if you back away from me every time I catch on fire."

Frank fiddled with his centurion badge.

"You said your mom died in war, right?" I asked. "Do you have any other family members?"

"I did—I mean I technically still do considering Percy is my thousand times great uncle," Frank said.

"Seriously?" I asked. I knew Frank had some kind of connection to Poseidon since Percy brought up Frank having the blood of Poseidon. But I didn't think they were so _distantly_ related.

Frank nodded. "Then there's Percy's adopted Half-Brother Tyson—and of course Mars and his children—" from the way Frank said that I guess he didn't consider the children of the war god as his half-siblings, "—but other than that, the only relative I had was my grandmother, but from what I understand, she should have died when Thantos was freed."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She was sick, and pretty old," Frank said.

"So it's possible she died of old age."

Frank nodded. "What about you? You said your mom died in a fire?"

"Well, there's not much to say myself," I said. "After my mom died, my aunt Rosa turned the rest of my family against me—blaming me for my mom's death. After that I bounced around foster families—running away from five of them myself. Then the court sentence me to Wilderness School where I met Piper and Jason—"

"After Juno took him from Camp Jupiter," Frank said.

"Yep," I replied. "Then during a field trip we were attacked by storm spirits and picked up by Annabeth and one of Piper's half-sisters and took us to camp half-blood where Hephaestus claimed me and I met my half-siblings. After that, you know the story—Jason Piper and I went on a quest to prove ourselves as three of the Prophecy of Seven by freeing Hera."

Frank nodded as if he remembered that last part.

"So in a way, we're both just a couple of orphaned kids," Frank said.

There was still no sign of Hazel. The American tourist were still milling around the Pantheon. They seemed to be circling closer like they were to sneak up on Raphael. In fact, they seem to be coming our way more exact and were glaring at me.

"Uh, Frank," I asked. "Has it been ten minutes yet?"

Frank followed my gaze. The American faces were angry and confused, like they were sleepwalking through a very annoying nightmare.

 _"Leo Valdez,"_ called the guy in the ROMA shirt. His voice had changed. It was hollow and metallic. He spoke English as if it was a second language. _"We meet again."_

All three tourist blinked, and their eyes turned solid gold.

Frank yelped. "Eidolons!"

The Americans clenched their beefy fists. Normally, I wouldn't have worried about getting murdered by overweight guys in floppy hats, but I suspected the eidolons were dangerous even in those bodies, especially since the spirits wouldn't care whether their hosts survived or not.

"They can't fit down the hole," I said.

"Right," Frank said. "Underground is sounding really good."

He turned into a snake and slithered over the edge. I jumped in after him while the spirits began to wail above, _"Valdez! Kill Valdez!"_

* * *

 **A/N:** For those who might of thought Roma was a miss spell: Roma is the Italian word/name Rome. Basically not all countries and cities are pronounce and/or spelled the same in every language. So chances were that tourist got it from a souvenir shop in Rome with the city being spelled ROMA


	38. Leo's POV Part X

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part X**

One problem solved: the hatch above closed automatically, cutting off our pursuers. It also cut off all light, but Frank and I could deal with that. I just hoped we didn't need to get out the same way we came in. I wasn't sure I could open the tile from underneath. It helped that the tunnel was wider than the entrance so that even Frank could fit down here in human form.

At least the possessed American dudes were on the other side. Over my head the marble floor shuddered, like fat tourist feet were kicking it.

Frank must have turned back into human form, because I could hear him wheezing in the dark.

"What now?" Frank asked.

"Okay, don't freak," I said. "I'm going to summon a little fire, just so we can see."

"Thanks for the warning."

My index finger blazed like a birthday candle. In front of us stretched a stone tunnel with a low ceiling. Just as Hazel had predicted, it slanted down, the level out and went south.

"Well," Leo said. "It only goes in one direction."

"Let's find Hazel," Frank said.

I'm not going to argue about that suggestion, or the fact that Frank let me take the lead so if my flames grew or if the rest of me catch on fire he can back away. Other than the reason why, I was actually glad to have Frank watching my back. He's big and strong and able to turn into scary animals in case those possessed tourist somehow broke through the hatch, squeezed inside, and follow us. I wondered if the eidolons might just leave those bodies behind and find someone else who probably could break through that tunnel.

 _Oh, there's my happy thought for the day!_ Leo scolded himself.

After a hundred feet or so, we turned a corner and found Hazel. The light of her golden cavalry sword, she was examining a door. She was so engrossed, she didn't noticed us. I was tempted to go, "BOO!" but I decided to go with something more formal, "Hi."

It seemed either choice would have got me killed under normal circumstances, as Hazel whirled, trying to swing her Spatha which was blocked off by the corridor.

"What are you doing here?" Hazel demanded.

I gulped. "Sorry. We ran into angry tourist."

"What?"

Frank and I explained about the Eidolons up above.

Hazel hissed in frustration. "I hate eidolons. I thought Piper made them promise to stay away."

"Oh…" Frank said, like he'd just had his own daily thought. "Piper made them promise to stay off the ship and not possess any of _us_. But if they followed us, and used other bodies to attack us, they're not technical breaking their vows…"

"Great," I muttered. "Eidolons who are also lawyers. Now I _really_ want to kill them."

"Okay, forget them for now," Hazel said. "This door is giving me fits. Leo, can you tryi our skills with the lock?"

I cracked my knuckleds. "Stand aside for the master, please."

The door was interesting, much more complicated than the Roman numeral combination lock above. The entire door was coated in Imperial gold. A mechanical sphere about the size of a bowling ball was embedded in the center. The sphere was constructed from five concentric rings, each inscribed with zodiac symbols—the bull, the scorpion, et cetera—and seemingly random number and letters. Something about this design seem familiar—something my siblings told me in Camp-Half-Blood.

"These letters are Greek," I said in surprise.

"Well, lots of Romans spoke Greek," Hazel said.

"I guess," I said. "But this workmanship… no offense to you Camp Jupiter types, but this is too complicated to be Roman."

Frank snorted. "Whereas you Greeks just _love_ making things complicated."

Okay, maybe I should of used m words wiser. But at the time I was too much impress with the workmanship of this lock. But I wasn't about to let Frank when this argument.

"Hey," I protested. "All I'm saying is this machinery is delicate, sophisticated. It reminds me of…" That's when it dawn to me who might of created this sphere. I stared at it in amazement. "It's a more advance sort of lock." I decided. "It uses astronomy and geometry and a bunch of other stuff to align the symbols on the different rings in the right order, and that opens the door."

"But what's the right order?" Hazel asked.

"If I'm right about who made this, it should be the value of Pi," I replied.

Frank frowned. "What kind of pie?"

"He means the number," Hazel guessed. "I learned that in math class once, but—"

"It's used to measure circles," I said. "I'm pretty sure pi is, uh, 3.1415 blah blah blah. The number goes on forever, but the sphere only has five rings, so that should be enough, if I'm right."

"And if you're not?" Frank asked.

"Well, then, I fall down, go boom. Let's find out."

I was about to start from the outside in when I remember that pi is an infinite number so it would be best to work from the inside out. I turned the rings, lining up the right numbers until they made the right value of pi. When I aligned the last ring, something inside the sphere clicked. The door swung open.

I beamed at my friends. "That, good people, is how we do things in Leo World. Come on in!"

"I hate Leo World," Frank muttered.

Hazel laughed.

Inside was enough cool stuff to keep me busy for years. The room was about the size of the forge back at Camp Half-Blood, with bronze-topped worktables along the walls, and baskets full of ancient metalworking tool. Dozens of bronze and gold spheres like steampunk basketballs sat around in various stages of disassembly. Loose gear and wiring littered the floor. Thick metal cables ran from each table toward the back of the room, where there was an enclosed loft like a theater' sound booth. Stair led up to the booth on either side. All the cables seemed to run into it. Next to the stairs on the left, a row of cubbyholes was filled with leather cylinders—probably ancient scroll cases.

I was about to head to the tables when I glanced to my left and my brain switch to techno geek mode. Flanking the doorway were two armored manikins—like skeletal scarecrows made from bronze pipes, outfitted with full suits of Roman armor, shield and sword.

"Dude!" I walked up to one. "These would be _awesome_ if they worked."

Frank edged away from the manikins. "Those things are going to come alive and attacked us, aren't they?"

I laughed. "Not a chance. They aren't complete." I taped the nearest manikin's neck, where loose copper wires sprouted from underneath its breastplate. "Look, the head's wiring has been disconnected. And here, at the elbow, the pulley system for this joint I out of alignment. My guess? The Romans were trying to duplicate a Greek design without the original blueprint and couldn't do such a complicated design cause of it."

Hazel arched her eyebrows. "The Romans weren't good enough at being _complicated_ , I supposed."

"Or delicate," Frank added. "Or sophisticated."

"Pretty impressive try," I said ignoring them, "Children of Vulcan must have attempted this after Archimedes' death. I've heard legends that the Romans confiscated his writings, but—"

"Archimedes?" Hazel looked baffled. "Wasn't he an ancient mathematician or something?"

I laughed. "He was a lot more that. He was the most famous son of Hephaestus who ever lived."

Frank scratch his ear. "I've heard his name before, but how can you be sure this manikin is his design? According to Percy and Annabeth Daedalus was a great inventor—so it might be his designs."

"True, Daedalus was, but I recognize a work of a child of Hephaestus, and these designs are definitely the work of one," I explained. "Plus it explains the lock of the safe. Archimedes after all was the one who discovered pi."

"I guess that makes sense," Hazel said.

"Look, I've read all about Archimedes. He's a hero to Cabin Nine. The dude was Greek, right? He lived in one of the Greek colonies in southern Italy, back before Rome got all huge and took over. Finally the Romans moved in and destroyed his city. The Roman General wanted to spare Archimedes, because he was so valuable."

"That might also be why the Romans let your ancestors join the legion, Frank," Hazel said. "They probably thought your ancestors were valuable enough with your family gift to help them build their empire."

"If they did, then Frank's ancestors must have been more fortunate than Archimedes," Leo added. "Archimedes was a head of his time, but most of the General's men didn't agree with their commander and killed Archimedes."

Frank grunted as if being grateful his ancestors were more fortunate than Archimedes. "How do you know all this, anyway?" He asked. "Is there a Spanish tour guide around here?"

"No, man," I replied. "How do I put it—you can't be a demigod who's into building stuff and not know about Archimedes. It would be like being a demigod who is into architect without hearing about Daedalus and his Labyrinth—almost unheard of."

"I guess that makes sense," Hazel said.

"Anyway, Archimedes invented cool stuff like the hydraulic screw that could move water through pipes, and a death ray made of mirrors that could burn enemy ship, and a massive claw that could swing on a crane and pluck enemy hips out the water," Leo said. "Modern mortal have tried to duplicate some of his inventions, they were only able to successfully built not even half of his designs—mostly because Mortals never understand how Archimedes use Celestial bronze for his weapons. That's the key to his inventions."

"So if Archimedes was killed and his city was destroyed, how did this stuff end up bellow the Pantheon?" Hazel asked.

"Well, the legend goes, the Roman General was such a big fan of Archimedes' work, he raided his workshop and carted a bunch of souvenirs back to Rome. After that, most of the designs disappeared from history, except…" I waved my hands at the stuff on the tables. "Here they are."

"Metal basketballs?" Hazel asked.

I couldn't believe what I just heard, but I tried to contain my irritation. "Guy, Archimedes constructed _spheres._ The Romans couldn't figure them out because—as I said before—Archimedes was _way_ ahead of his time. The Romans couldn't figure them out. They thought they were just for telling time or following constellations, because they covered with pictures of stars and planets. But that's like finding a rifle and thinking it's a walking stick."

"Leo, the Romans were top-notch engineers," Hazel reminded me, "They built aqueducts, roads—"

"Siege weapons," Frank added. "Public sanitation."

"Yeah, fine," I said. "The Romans built great things themselves. But even you have to admit the Romans wasn't able to duplicate all of the Greek's works. Archimedes' spheres could do all sorts of things, only nobody is sure…"

Suddenly I got an idea so incredible that my nose burst into flames. I patted it out so quickly as possible. It always been embarrassing whenever that happened.

I ran to the row of cubbyholes and examined the marking on the scroll cases. "Oh, gods. This is it."

I gingerly lifted out one of the scrolls. I wasn't great at Ancient Greek, but I could tell the inscription on the case read _On Building Spheres._

"Guys, this is the lost book!" My hands were shaking. "Archimedes wrote this, describing his construction methods, but all the copies were lost in ancient times. If I can translate this…"

The possibilities were endless. For me, the quest had now totally taken on a new dimension. I had to get the spheres and scrolls safely out of here. I had to protect this stuff until I could get back to Bunker Nine.

"Frank, I'm going to need to use your backpack!" I said.

"What?" Frank asked.

"Worry, just going to transfer the stuff I have into your bag," I said. "I'm not going to leave without the sphere or scroll. If I could master at least one of them, it could get us an advantage over Gaea—heck! It might save both of our camps from upcoming attack."

Hazel and Frank glanced each other skeptically.

"Okay," Hazel said. "We didn't come here for a scroll, but if you think it will help us with the quest—I guess I don't see any problem bringing both it and a sphere."

"Fine!" Frank handed me his backpack.

I dumped my supplies into it, before taking a sphere and placing it in my backpack carefully along with the scroll. For the first time in days, I felt really hopeful.

Of course, just when I thought that, everything went wrong.

On the table next to Hazel, one of the orbs that I didn't grabbed clicked and whirred. A row of spindly legs extended from its equator. The orb stood and two bronze cables shot out of the top, hitting Hazel and Frank like Taser wires. Both of my friends crumpled to the floor.

I lunged to help them, but the two armored manikins that couldn't possibly move _did_ move. They drew their swords and stepped toward me.

One on the left turned its crooked helmet, which was shaped like a wolf's head. Despite the fact that it had no face or mouth, a familiar hollow voice spoke from behind its visor.

 _"You cannot escape us, Leo Valdez,"_ it said. _"We do not like possessing machines, but they are better than tourist. You will not leave here alive."_


	39. Leo's POV Part XI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XI**

Alright, I'll give Nemesis credit about luck being a sham. Especially when it comes down to my luck.

Last winter I had to watch in horror while a family of rogue cyclopes prepared to roast Jason and Piper with hot sauce. I'd schemed my way out of that one and saved my friends all by myself, but at least I had time to think.

Now, not so much. Hazel and Frank had been knocked out by the tendrils of a possessed steampunk bowling ball. Two suits of armor with bad attitudes were about to kill me.

I couldn't blast them with fire. Suits of armor wouldn't be hurt by that. Besides, Hazel and Frank were too close. I didn't want to burn them or accidentally hit the piece of firewood that was Frank's lifeline.

On my right, the suit of armor with a lion's helmet creaked its wiry neck and regarded Hazel and Frank, who were still lying unconscious.

 _"A male and female demigod,"_ said the Lion head. _"These will do, if the others die."_ It's hollow face mask turned back to me. _"We do not need you, Leo Valdez."_

"Oh, hey!" I tried for a winning smile. "You always need Leo Valdez!"

I spread my hands and hoped I looked confident and useful, not desperate and terrified. I wondered if it was too late to write TEAM LEO on my shirt.

Sadly, the suits of armor were not as easily swayed as the Narcissus Fan Club had been.

The one with the wolf-headed helmet snarled, _I have been in your mind, Leo. I helped you start the war."_

My smile crumbed and I took a step back. "That was you?"

Now that I think about it, it does make sense why those tourist bothered me so much from the moment I saw them, and why this thing's voice sounded so familiar. I heard it in my mind.

"You made me fire a ballista?" I demanded. "You call that _helping_?"

 _"I know how you think,"_ said Wolf Head. _"I know your limits. You are small and alone. You need friends to protect you. Without them, you are unable to withstand me. I vowed not to possess you again, but I can still kill you."_

The armored dudes stepped forward. The points of their swords hovered a few inches from my face.

My fear suddenly made way for a whole lot of anger. This eidolon in the wolf helmet had shamed me, controlled me, and made me attack New Rome. It had endangered my friends and botched our quest.

I glanced at the remaining dormant sphere on the worktables. I considered my tool belt. I thought about the loft behind me—the area that looked like a sound booth. Presto: _Operation Junk Pile_ was born.

"First: you don't know me," I told Wolf Head. "And second: Bye."

lunged for the stairs and bounded to the top. The suits of armor were scary, but they were not fast. As I suspected, the loft had doors on either side—folding metal gates. The operators would've wanted protection in case their creations went haywire… like now. I slammed both gates shut and summon fire to my hands, fusing the locks.

The suits of armor closed in on either side. They rattled the gates, hacking them with their swords.

 _"This is foolish,"_ said Lion Head. _"You only delay your death."_

"Delaying death is one of my favorite hobbies." I scanned my new home. Overlooking the workshop was a single table like a control board. It was crowded with junk. There were a few things I dismissed like a diagram for a human catapult that would never work, and a bronze large mirror.

There was also a strange black sword that I didn't think much about until I saw what was next to it—a celestial bronze that was long and perfect for hunting. I immediately recognized it as a hunter's knife that that the Hunters of Artemis used. But why was it here? And what is it doing with this strange sword?

I heard rattling from the cage and was broke from my confusion.

 _Worry about the knife and sword later,_ I thought.

I looked around until I found what I was looking for. In the center of the table someone had disassembled an Archimedes sphere. Gears, springs, levers, and rods were littered around it. All the bronze cables to the room below were connected to a metal plate under the sphere. I could sense the Celestial bronze running through the workshop like arteries from a heart—ready to conduct magical energy or to rule over the other spheres.

This sphere was a master regulator. I was standing at Ancient Roman mission control.

"Well, it looks like I don't have to use my own sphere," I said being glad that I don't have to use my new toy right away.

 _"Leo Valdez!"_ the spirit howled. _"Open this gate or I will kill you!"_

"You're going to kill me even if I do open the gate," I responded, "Just let me finish this. A last request, all right?"

That must have confused the spirits, because they momentarily stopped hacking at the bars.

My hands flew over the sphere, reassembling its missing pieces. Why did the stupid ancient Romans have to take such a beautiful machine? They had killed Archimedes, stolen his stuff, then mess with a piece of equipment they could never understand. On the other hand, at least they'd had the sense to lock it away for two thousand ears so that I could retrieve it. And once I understand how this thing worked, I'm sure I can get the one in my backpack working.

The eidolons started pounding on the gates again.

"Who is it?" I called.

 _"Valdez!"_ Wolf Head bellowed.

"Valdez who?" I asked.

Eventually the eidolons would realize they couldn't get in. Then if Wolf Head truly knew my mind, he would decide there are other ways to force my cooperation. I had to work faster.

I connected the gears, got one wrong, and had to start again. Hephaestus' hand grenades, this was hard!

Finally, I got the last spring in place. The ham-fisted Romans had almost ruined the tension adjuster, but I pulled a set of watchmaker's tools from my tool belt and did some final calibrations. Archimedes was a genius—assuming this thing actually worked.

I wound the starter coil and the gears began to turned. I closed the top of the sphere and studied its concentric circles—similar to the ones on the workshop door.

I need to quickly deduced the right sequence to activate this control sphere. There were seven rings, each one covered with tiny Greek letters, numbers and zodiac signs. I doubt the answer wouldn't be pi. Archimedes would never do the same thing twice. Besides, just putting my hand on the sphere I could feel that the sequence had been generated randomly. It was something only Archimedes would know.

Supposedly, Archimedes last words had been: _Don't disturb my circles._

No one knew what that meant, but I could apply it to this sphere. The lock was much too complicated. Maybe if I had a few years, I could decipher the markings and figured out the right combination.

Just then the eidolons roared in rage, and I knew immediately I don't have much time.

 _A problem you cannot solve,_ said a voice in my mind.

Nemesis… she'd told me to expect this moment. I thrust my hand in my pocket and brought out the fortune cookie. The goddess had warned me of a great price for her help—as great as losing as an eye. But if I didn't try, it could be too late before I figure this sphere out.

"I need the access code for this sphere," I said as I broke open my cookie.

At that moment, Wolf Helmet pounded at the gate.

 _"Valdez!"_ Wolf head yelled. _"Our third comrade will kill your friends!"_

In normal circumstances I would be angry. I already figured their third comrade had possessed that spindly-legged Taser ball that had knocked Hazel and Frank. But the eidolons were too late on the threat. I already got what I want in my hands.

"Okay, I'm coming," I said.


	40. Leo's POV Part XII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XII**

In case you're wondering, which I'm sure you are, the strip of paper read: THAT'S YOUR REQUEST? SERIOUSLY? (OVER)

On the back, the paper said: YOUR LUCK NUMBERS ARE: TWELVE, JUPITER, ORION, DELTA, THREE, THETA, OMEGA. (WREAK VENGEANCE UPON GAEA, LEO VALDEZ.)

After Wolf Head's threat, I quickly turned the rings with trembling fingers. The last ring clicked into place. The sphere hummed with power. I ran my hands along the surface, sensing tiny buttons and levers awaiting his commands.

Magical and electrical pulses coursed via the Celestial bronze cables and surge through the entire room.

Outside, Wolf Head growled in frustration. _Where are you Valdez! Do you want our comrade to kill your friends?_

I ignored him as best as I could, but I had this feeling that my friends were in serious danger.

I never played a musical instrument, but I imagined it must be like this—knowing each key or note so well that you didn't really think about what your hands were doing. You just concentrated on the kind of sound you wanted to create.

I started small. I focus on one reasonably intact gold sphere down in the main room. The gold sphere shuddered. It grew a tripod of legs and clattered over to the Taser ball. A tiny circular saw popped out of the gold sphere's head, and it began cutting into the Taser ball's brain.

Oh man, if I can do much, from here I wondered what I can do with the one in my backpack when I get back to the ship.

With excitement I tried to activate a second orb. Only this one burst in a small mushroom cloud of bronze dust and smoke.

It seems I have spoken too soon.

"Oops," I muttered. "Sorry, Archimedes."

 _"What are you doing?"_ Wolf Head demanded. _"Stop your foolishness and come out already."_

"Sorry, I tripped over some of the tech in here," I apologized.

I tried to take control of the third orb, and that one broke too. I felt bad about ruining all these ancient inventions, but this was life or death. Frank had once accused me of caring more of machines than people, but if it came down to making sure those eidolons don't kill my friends over saving a few spheres, then I'm saving my friends.

The fourth try went better. A ruby-encrusted orb popped its top and helicopter blades unfolded. I was glad Buford the table wasn't here—he would've fallen in love. The rub orb spun into the air and extended from its middle and snapped up the precious scroll cases.

 _"Enough!"_ Wolf Head yelled. _"I will destroy the—"_

He turned in time to see the ruby sphere take off with the scrolls. It zipped across the room and hovered in the far corner. I don't know why I had it do that when I already got one of the scrolls, but it ended up being a good distraction.

 _"What?!"_ Wolf Head cried and turned to the Taser ball. _"Kill the prisoners!"_

Unfortunately, Taser ball was in no shape to comply. My gold sphere was sitting on top of its sawed open head, picking through its gear and wires like it was scooping out a pumpkin.

At that point Hazel and Frank began to stir.

 _"Bah!"_ Wolf head gestured to Lion Head at the opposite gate. _"Come! We will destroy the demigods ourselves."_

"I don't think so, guys." I turned toward the Lion Head. My hands worked their magic over the controls of the sphere, and I felt a shock travel through the floor.

Lion Head shuddered and lowered his sword.

I grinned. "You're in Leo's World, now."

Lion Head turned and storm down the stairs and up the opposite stairs to face its comrade.

 _"What are you doing?"_ Wolf Head demanded. _"We have to—"_

 _BLONG!_

Lion Head slammed his shield into Wolf's Head's chest.

Before Wolf Head could regain his sense, I got the hang of the sphere and gain control over both robots. For the fun of it I had both robots dropped their swords and shields and just for the heck of it made them raised their fist up where their elbow at an angle and come at each other wither upper cuts while every once in a while having the two step back a before sending the two at each other again. What were they called again? Rock'em sock'em robots?

At this moment Hazel and Frank were conscious and were now watching the two robots fight each other like a life size version of that board games where they have the two robots punch each other until one makes the other's head pop up to win, or in this case send the other head flying.

"Leo, what are you doing?" Hazel asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just making these two Eidolons have a life size rock'em sock'em robots game with them being the robots," I said.

"I think I use to play that game," Frank responded.

 _"Valdez, you're dead!"_ Wolf Head yelled.

At that moment Lion Head gave him a powerful uppercut jab that send Wolf Head's head flying. Then just for the laugh I had Lion head raised his arms like a boxer who just won the championship.

Unfortunately, my fun doesn't seem to last. I guess I shouldn't be surprise since these robots weren't complete and even if they were, machines have their limits.

The joints of the robots started smoking. The other spheres around the room began to pop. Too much energy was surging through the ancient system. The control sphere in my hand grew uncomfortably warm, and my back felt like it might as well be on fire

"Frank, Hazel!" I shouted. "Take cover!"

Frank pulled Hazel under the nearest table and shielded her with his body.

One last twist of the sphere, and sent a massive jolt through the system. The armored warrior blew apart. Rods, pitons, and bronze shards blew everywhere. Thank gods I manage to make it where only the spheres on the tables popped like hot soda cans. My gold sphere froze. My backpack was no longer burning hot. The ruby orb dropped to the floor with the scroll cases.

The room was suddenly quiet except for a few random sparks and sizzles. The air smelled like burning car engines. I raced down the stair and found Frank and Hazel safe under their table. I had never been so happy to see those two hugging.

"You guys alright?" I asked.

"I think so," Hazel replied although her left eye did twitch. "What exactly happened?"

"Archimedes came through," I said. "Just enough power left in those old machines for one final show. Once I had the access code, it was easy."

I patted the control sphere, which was steaming in a bad way. I wouldn't be surprise if my backpack was steaming too. I don't know if I can savage and fix either one, but at the moment, I was to relieved to care.

"The eidolons," Frank said. "Are they gone?"

I grinned. "My last command overloaded their kill switches—basically locked down their circuits and melted their cores."

"In English?" Frank asked.

"I trapped the eidolons inside the wiring," I simplified. "Then I melted them. They won't be bothering anyone again."

I helped my friends to their feet.

"You saved us," Frank said.

"Don't sound surprised." I glanced around the destroyed workshop. "Too bad all this stuff got wrecked, but at least I salvaged the scrolls. If I can get them back to Camp Half-Blood, maybe I can learn how to recreate Archimedes' inventions."

Hazel rubbed the side of her head. "But I don't understand. Where is Nico? That tunnel was supposed to lead us to Nico."

I had almost forgotten why we'd come down here in the first place. Nico was obviously not here. The place was a dead end.

Then I remembered the black sword and the Celestial bronze hunter's knife.

"Oh." I felt like there was a buzz-saw sphere on my own head, pulling out wires and gears. "Hazel, you wouldn't happen to be tracking your brother through his sword, were you?"

Hazel blinked. "Yeah, but only because Rome is so confusing, so much interference because of all the tunnels and caves making it hard to sense his presence. Why?"

"You better come here." I led Hazel and Frank up to the control room and pointed to the black sword that was next to the Hunters knife.

"Oh. Oh, no." Hazel would've collapsed if Frank hadn't caught her. "But that's impossible! Nico's sword was with him in the bronze jar. Percy _saw_ it in his dreams."

"The giants must have moved the sword here as a decoy, but I don't get what a hunter's knife is doing here," I poked at the knife carefully.

"That's the knife Bianca gave Nico after she joined the Hunters," Hazel said. "He showed it to me a few times."

"So this was a trap," Frank said. "We were lured here."

"But _why_?" Hazel cried. "Where's my brother?"

A hissing sound filled the control booth. At first, I thought the eidolons were back. Then I realized the bronze mirror on the table was steaming.

 _Ah, my poor demigods._ The sleeping face of Gaea appeared in the mirror. As usual, she spoke without moving her mouth, which could only have been creepier if she'd had a ventriloquism puppet. I hated those things.

 _You had your choice,_ Gaea said. Her voice echoed through the room. It seemed to be coming not just from the mirror, but the stone walls as well.

I realized she was around us. Of course. We were in the earth. We'd gone to all the trouble of building the _Argo II_ so we could travel by sea and air, and we'd ended up in the earth anyway.

 _I offer salvation to all of you,_ Gaea said. _You could have turned back. Now it is too late. You've come to the ancient lands where I am strongest—where I will wake._

I pulled a hammer from my tool belt and whacked the mirror. Being metal, it just quivered like a tea tray, but it felt good to smash Gaea's nose.

"In case you haven't noticed, Dirt Face," I said. "your little ambush failed. Your three eidolons got melted in bronze, and we're fine."

Gaea laughed softly. _Oh, my sweet Leo. You three have been separated from your friend. That was the whole point._

The workshop door slammed shut.

 _You are trapped in my embrace,_ Gaea said. _Meanwhile, Annabeth Chase faces her death alone, terrified and crippled, at the hands of her mother's greatest enemy._

The image in the mirror changed and I saw Annabeth sprawled on the floor of a dark cavern, holding up her bronze knife as if warding off a monster. Her face was gaunt and her leg was wrapped in some sort of splint. I couldn't see what she was looking at, but it was obviously something horrible. I wanted to believe the image was a lie, but I had a bad feeling it was real, and it was happening right now.

 _The others,_ Gaea said. _Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and my dear friend Percy Jackson—they will perish within minutes._

The scene changed again and I saw Percy holding Riptide, leading Jason and Piper down a spiral staircase into the darkness.

 _Their powers will betray them,_ Gaea said. _They will die in their own elements. I almost hoped they would have survived. They would have made a better sacrifice. But alas, Hazel and Frank, you will have to do. My minions will collect you shortly and bring you to the ancient place. Your blood will awaken me at last. Until then, I will allow you to watch your friends perish. Please… enjoy this last glimpse of your failed quest._

I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Frank, Hazel stand back!" I warned as my hand glowed white hot.

My friend head my warning and scrambled back as I pressed my palm against the mirror and melted it into a puddle of bronze goo.

Gaea's voice was silent. I could only hear the roar of blood in my ear. I took a shaky breath.

"What do we do now?" Frank asked. "We have to get out and help the others."

I scanned the workshop, now littered with smoking pieces of broken spheres. My friends still need me. This was still my show. As long as I had my tool belt and now have the know-how to put together Archimedes' sphere, I wasn't going to sit around helplessly watching the Demigod Death Channel.

I picked up the black sword and hunters knife and passed them to Hazel. "When we get out of here and find your brother, I think you should be the one to return these?"

Hazel was confused but she nodded.

"Do you have a plan?" Frank asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "But it's going to take all three of us."

I started telling them my plan.

* * *

 **A/N:** For those who don't know, yes the Romans created a bunch of stuff some of which we still use today, but keep in mind there is one legacy that the Ancient Greeks have that is still use today that is older than anything the Romans started: Democracy. And although Democracy isn't perfect (no type of government is), keep in mind the idea of the Roman senate that helped govern Rome before it was even an empire was made possible because the Greeks created Democracy from the moment the Athenians held an election to vote whether to surrender to the Persians peacefully or to fight along side the Spartans.


	41. Piper's POV Part IX

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part IX**

I tried to make the best of the situation.

Once Jason and I had gotten tired of pacing the deck, listening to Coach Hedge sing "Old MacDonald" with weapons instead of animals, we decided to have a picnic in the park. Of course we still had to tell Coach Hedge unless we want to spend the rest of the quest wearing cow bells tied around our necks.

Hedge grudgingly agreed. "Stay where I can see you."

"What are we, kids?" Jason asked.

Hedge snorted. "Kids are baby goats. They're cute, and they have redeeming social value. You are definitely not kids."

Once down below, we spread our blanket under a willow tree next to a pond. I tuned over my cornucopia and spilled out an entire meal—neatly wrapped sandwiches, canned drinks, fresh fruit, and (for some reason) a birthday cake with purple icing and candles already lit.

I frowned. "Is it someone's birthday?"

Jason winced. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"Jason!"

"There's too much going on," he said. "And honestly… before last month, I didn't even know when my birthday _was_. Thalia told me the last time she was at camp."

I wondered what that would be like—not even knowing the day you were born. Jason had been given to Lupa the wolf when he was only two years old. He'd never really known his mortal mom. He'd only been reunited with his sister last winter.

"July First," I said. "The Kalends of July."

"Yeah." Jason smirked. "The Romans would find that auspicious—the first day of the month named for Julius Caesar. Juno's sacred day. Yippee."

I didn't want to push it, or make a celebration if he didn't feel like celebrating.

"Sixteen?" I asked.

He nodded. "Oh, boy. I can get my driver's license."

I laughed. Jason had killed so many monsters and saved the world so many times that the idea of him sweating a driving test seemed ridiculous. I pictured him behind the wheel of some old Lincoln with a STUDENT DRIVER sign on top and a grumpy teacher in the passenger seat with an emergency brake pedal.

"Well?" I urged. "Blow out the candles."

Jason did and I wondered what he wished for. Hopefully that he and I would survive this quest and stay together forever. I decided not to ask him. I didn't want to jinx that wish, and I definitely didn't want to find out that he'd wish for something different.

Since we'd left the Pillar of Hercules yesterday evening, Jason seemed distracted. I couldn't blame him. It turns out Percy was right about Hercules not being all what he seems in the hero department, which makes Hercules a disappointment as a big brother to Jason. It probably didn't help that the old river god Achelous had said some unflattering things about the sons of Jupiter.

I stared at the cornucopia. I wondered if Achelous was getting used to having no horns at all. I hoped so. Sure, he had tried to kill us, but I still felt bad for the old god. I didn't understand how such a lonely, depressed spirit could produce a horn of plenty that hot out pineapple and birthday cakes. Could it be that the cornucopia had drained all the goodness out of him? Maybe now that the horn was gone, Achelous would be able to fill up with some happiness and keep it for himself.

I also kept thinking about Achelous' advice: _If you made it to Rome, the story of the flood would have served you better._ I knew the story he was talking about. I just don't understand how it would help.

Then there was what Achelous said about their being other cultural gods. What did he mean exactly? Was there other type of gods other than Greek and Roman? If so, why aren't they doing anything about the giants? Or do most other gods prefer keeping to their own realm of influence?

Another thought occurred to me. Could it be the Western Civilization movement that led the Greeks and Romans to settle in North America had also influence the other cultural deities to do the same? How come we never saw them? Could they have their own magical veil keeping us from seeing them as well?

Jason plucked an extinguish candle from his cake. "I've been thinking."

That snapped me back to the present. Coming from my boyfriend, _I've been thinking_ was kind of a scary line.

"About?" I asked.

"Camp Jupiter," he said. "All the year I trained there. We were always pushing teamwork, working as a unit. I thought I understood what that meant. But honestly? I was always the leader. Even when I was younger—"

"The son of Jupiter," I said. "Most powerful kid in the legion. You were the star."

Jason looked uncomfortable, but he didn't deny it. "Being in this crew of seven… I'm not sure what to do. I get I'm supposed to be the leader, but I know each of us had a part in this quest, but I feel like I'm failing at my part."

I took his hand. "You're _not_ failing."

"It sure felt that way when Chrysaor attacked," Jason said.

"You helped fought back those fan-crazed nymphs back at the Great Salt Lake," I stated, "And you and Percy worked together and created that storm."

"Yeah, and it drained us so much that we were useless against Shrimpzilla," Jason replied, "Sometimes I wish I was invincible like Percy—even if it's with 99% with the draw backs."

"Come on," I chided. "Being a hero doesn't mean you're invincible. It just means that you're brave enough to stand up to do what's needed."

"And if I don't _know_ what's needed?"

"That's what your friends are for. We've all got different strengths. Together, we'll figure it out. Just because Juno said you were meant to be the leader of the group doesn't mean you can't carry the burden yourself. Isn't that why you send Hazel out on her first quest as leader to find clues to her brother?"

Jason studied me. I wasn't sure that he bought what I was saying, but I was glad he could confide in me. I liked that he had a little self-doubt. He didn't succeed all the time. He didn't think the universe owed him an apology whenever something went wrong—unlike another son of the sky god I'd recently met.

"Hercules was a jerk," he said, as if reading my mind. "I never want to be like that. But I wouldn't have had the courage to stand up to him without your taking the lead. You were the hero that time."

"We can take turns," I suggested.

"I don't deserve you."

"You're not allowed to say that."

"Why not?"

"It' a breakup line. Unless you're breaking up—"

Jason leaned over and kissed me. When he did the colors of the Roman afternoon suddenly seemed sharper, as if the world had switched to high definition.

"No breakups," he promised. "I'm not that stupid."

"Good," I said. "Now, about that cake—"

"Guys!" someone interrupted.

We turned to see Percy running toward us, and judging from his expression he brought bad news.

"What's wrong Percy?" Jason asked, "Did Annabeth make it on her quest okay?"

"Yeah—I mean I think so," Percy said.

Even I could tell Percy seemed uncertain about his answer.

He then frowned as he noticed the birthday cake for the first time. "Is it someone's birthday?"

Jason raised his hand reluctantly. "I didn't want to bring it up earlier but the Cornucopia had other ideas."

Percy shrugged as if understanding. I'm guessing he had a few birthdays like that.

"Let's carry on this conversation on the _Argo II_ ," I suggested.

Neither boys argued against it.

…

We gathered on the deck so that Coach Hedge could hear the story. When Percy was done I had a hard time believing what I just heard.

"So Tiberinus was against the feud between Romans and Greeks?" I asked.

"Tiberinus isn't like other Roman Gods," Jason said. "While most are strict to little interactive with humans Tiberinus was more into helping mortals."

"I can believe that," Percy agreed. "But I still can't shake this bad feeling that Annabeth is in more danger than Tiberinus knows about. I just wish there was a way I could of gone with her."

"You just have to have faith in Annabeth to do what she has to do," I said. "You of all people should know Annabeth is tough and smart enough to take care of herself."

I put some charmspeak in my voice, which maybe wasn't cool, but Percy needed to be able to focus. If we went into battle, Annabeth wouldn't want him getting hurt because he was too distracted about her.

His shoulders relaxed. "Thanks, Piper. I need the reassurance."

I raised my eyebrow. Did Percy know I used my charmspeak on him. I guess I shouldn't be surprise if he could since he been a camper at Camp Half-Blood as long as Annabeth before being forced into Hera's little exchange program.

"Anyway, Tiberinus said we had less time to rescue Nico than we thought," Percy said. "Has Hazel and the guys return from their recon quest yet?"

I checked the time on the helm control. I hadn't realized how late it was getting. "It's two in the afternoon. We said three o'clock for a rendezvous."

"At the latest," Jason said.

Percy pointed at my dagger. "Tiberinus said you could find Nico's location with your knife."

I bit my lip. The last thing I wanted to do was check Katoptris for more terrifying images.

"I've tried," I said. "The dagger doesn't always show what I want to see. In fact, it hardly _ever_ does."

"I understand, but it's our only clue," Percy said. "Please try."

From his look I could tell Percy truly understand, like he seen how dangerous trying to see into the future can be dangerous. But he also gave me that pleading look, and with sea-green eyes that resembles a seal in help, I couldn't help but give in. How on earth Annabeth win any argument against this guy?

"Fine," I sighed, and drew my dagger.

"While you're at it," said Coach Hedge, "see if you can get the latest baseball scores. Italians don't cover baseball worth beans."

"Shh." I studied the bronze blade. The light shimmered. I saw what look like a conference room of a Hotel room filled with Roman demigods. A dozen of them stood around dining table as Octavian talked and pointed to a big map. Reyna paced around the table.

"I know that room—that's conference room of the Plaza hotel at Central Park," Percy said, "We used it as temporary HQ for a day during the Battle of Manhattan."

"That's not good," Jason muttered. "They've already set a forward base in Manhattan. They must be planning on how to scout Long Island—discussing invasion routes."

"But that's not what I wanted to see," Piper said.

"Daedalus design a blueprint for a shield that shows images of anything under direct sun or moonlight. It worked if the user concentrate specifically on what they wanted to see," Percy said. "But if you're not specific enough it can show you random stuff."

"How do you know of this?" Jason asked.

"Annabeth had Beckendorf made her one. It came in handy up until it was smashed by a giant son of Hephaestus Cacus." Percy looked depressed when he said that, like he now wished Annabeth had it. "Anyways, sometimes Annabeth would even give the shield an order."

I thought about what Percy said about the shield and started to wonder if it could help. Normally when I use the dagger I concentrated to try and see anything good, but I never considered of focusing on a single thing.

"Worth to try," I said concentrating really hard, "Show me how to find Nico di Angelo."

Light rippled across the blade. I saw ruins—a few crumbling walls, a single column, a stone floor covered with moss and dead vines—al clustered on a grassy hillside dotted with pine trees.

"I was just there," Percy said. "That's in the old Forum."

The view zoomed in. On one side of the stone floor sets of stairs had been excavated, leading down to a modern iron gate with a padlock.

"I think your suggestion worked Percy," Jason said.

The blade's image zoomed straight through the doorway, down a spiral stairwell, and into a dark cylinder chamber like the inside of a grain silo.

I dropped the blade.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked. "It was showing us something."

I felt like the boat was back on the ocean, rocking under my feet. "We can't go there."

Percy frowned. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with that direction?"

My voice wouldn't work. I'd kept that vision of the circular room to myself for so long, now I found it impossible to talk about. I had a horrible feeling that explaining it to Percy and Jason wouldn't change anything. I couldn't stop what was about to happen.

I picked up the knife again. It's hit seemed colder than usual.

I forced myself to look at the blade. I saw two giants in gladiator armor sitting on oversized praetors' chairs. The giants toasted each other with golden goblets as if they'd just won an important fight. Between them stood a large bronze jar.

The vision zoomed in again. Inside the jar, Nico di Angelo was curled in a ball, no longer moving, all the pomegranate seeds eaten.

"We're too late," Jason said.

"No," Perc said. "I can't believe that. Maybe he's gone into a deeper trance to buy time. But we have to hurry."

The blade surface went dark. I slipped it back into its sheath, trying to keep my hands from shaking. I hoped Percy was right and Nico was still alive. On the other hand, I didn't see how that image connected with the drowning room.

"Percy think back—did Tiberinus said anything else we'll need when we go down there?" I asked.

Percy frowned for a bit. "Just that I'll need my thermos, but I think he was talking about using it against the giants."

My stomach dropped as I realize Tiberinus must have meant the drowning room. But if Tiberinus was willing to help the children of Athena through their quest, why would he give us bad information?

I don't know, but in the end I don't like this.

"We should wait for the others," I said. "Hazel, Frank, and Leo should be back from their recon quest soon."

"But we can't wait," Percy said, "If Nico did go into a deeper trance, then Tiberinus is right about him having less time than we thought.

Coach Hedge grunted. "It's just two giants. If you guy want, I can take them."

"Uh, Coach," Jason said, "that's a great offer, but we need you to man the ship—or _goat_ the ship. Whatever."

Hedge scowled. "And let you three have all the fun?"

Percy gripped the satyr's arm. "Hazel and the others need you here. When they get back, they'll need your leadership. You're their rock."

"Yeah." Jason managed to keep a straight face. "Leo always says you're his rock. You can tell them where we've gone and bring the ship around to meet us at the Forum."

"And here." I unstrapped Katoptris and put it in Coach Hedge's hands.

The satyr's eyes widened. A demigod was never supposed to leave their weapon behind, but I was fed up with evil visions. I'd rather face my death without any more previews.

"Keep an eye on us with the blade," I suggested. "And you can check the baseball scores."

That sealed the deal. Hedge nodded grimly, prepared to do his part for the quest.

"All right," he said. "But if any giant come this way—"

"Feel free to blast them," Jason said.

"What about annoying tourists?"

"No!" all of us said in unison.

"Bah. Fine. Just don't take too long, or I'm coming after you with the ballistae blazing."

"Piper, you should bring the Cornucopia with us," Percy said. "That might come in handy just as well as my thermos."

I don't know how the horn of plenty will help us but I agreed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Happy St. Patricks Day Readers


	42. Piper's POV Part X

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part X**

Finding the place was easy. Percy led us right to it, on an abandoned stretched of hillside overlooking the ruined Forum.

Getting in was easy too. Jason's gold sword cut through the padlock, and the metal gate creaked open. No alarms went off, and since Percy used the Mist over the mortals, no one mortals noticed us. Stone steps spiraled down into the gloom.

"I'll go first," Jason said.

"No!" I yelped.

Both boys turned toward me.

"Pipes, what is it?" Jason asked. "That image in the blade… you've seen it before, haven't you?"

I nodded, my eyes stinging. "I didn't know how to tell you. I saw the room down there filling with water. I saw the three of us drowning."

Jason and Percy frowned.

"Was there something wrong with the water?" Percy asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "Why?"

"Well, it's just under normal circumstances I can breathe underwater. I can even create air bubbles if needed," Percy explained. "The only time I came close to drowning was when I fell through some musk back in Alaska."

"Maybe the future has changed," Jason speculated. "In the image you showed us just now, there wasn't any water."

I wished h was right, but I suspected we weren't lucky. Judging from Percy's expression he didn't believe it either.

"Look," Percy said. "I'll check it out first, just to make sure it's safe. If I'm not back in ten minutes find another way to Nico."

Before I could object, he disappeared down the stairwell.

I counted the time silently as we waited for him to come back. Somewhere around thirty-five, I heard is footsteps, and he appeared at the top, looking more baffled than relieved.

"Good news: no water," he said. "Bad news: I don't see any exits down there. And, uh, weird news: the walls of the room bellow are covered in fossilize sea shells."

"Fossilize sea shells?" Jason asked. "As in—"

"As in the same stuff that coat the inside of my thermos," Percy said. "Come on, I'll show you."

We descended cautiously. Percy took the lead, with Riptide drawn as our source of light. I followed, and Jason walked behind me, guarding our backs. The stairwell was cramped corkscrew of masonry, no more than six feet in diameter Even though Percy had given the "all clear," I kept my eyes open for traps. With every turn of the stairs, I anticipated an ambush. I had no weapon, just the cornucopia on a leather cord over my shoulder. If worse came to worse, the boys' swords wouldn't do much good in such close quarters, maybe Percy and I can shoot our enemies with high velocity smoke hams and powerful blast of water.

As we wound our way underground, I saw old graffiti gouged into the stones: Roman numerals, names, and phrases in Italian. That meant other people had been down here more recently than the Roman Empire, but I wasn't reassured. If monsters were below, they'd ignored mortals, waiting for some nice juicy demigods to come along.

Finally, we reached the bottom.

Percy turned. "Watch this last step."

He jumped to the floor of the cylinder room, which was five feet lower than the stairwell. Why would someone design a set of stair like that? I had no idea. Maybe the room and stairwell and been built during different time periods.

I wanted to turn and exit, but I couldn't do that with Jason behind me, and I couldn't just leave Percy down there. I clambered down, and Jason followed.

The room was just like I'd seen it in the Katoptris' blade, except there was no water. The curved walls and once been painted with frescoes, which were now faded to eggshell white with only flecks of color, and—as Percy told us—coated with fossilize seashells. The domed ceiling was about fifty feet above.

Around the back side of the room, opposite the stairwell, nine alcoves were carved into the wall. Each niche was about five feet off the floor and big enough for a human-sized statue, but each was empty

The air felt cold and dry, and as Percy said, there were no other exits.

"Watch this," Percy said as he took a step into the middle of the room and instantly, green and blue light rippled across the walls.

I heard the sound of a fountain and the smell of an ocean—like a summer hurricane approaching, but there was no water. There didn't seem to be any source of light except for Percy's and Jason's blades.

"It's an Nympaeum," Jason said

My mouth felt like it was getting drier down here. "A what?"

"We have one at Camp Jupiter," Jason said, "on Temple Hill. It's a shrine to the nymphs."

I met quite a few nymphs and other nature spirits at Camp Half-blood. Most were friendly toward children of Aphrodite, others—like the Maenads were not so much. But this place felt unnatural, hostile, and _very_ dry.

Jason stepped back and examined the rows of alcoves. "Shrines like this were all over the place in Ancient Rome. Rich people had them outside their villas to honor nymphs, to make sure the local water was always fresh. Some shrines were built around natural springs, but most were man-made."

"So… no actual nymphs lived here?" I asked hopefully.

"Not sure," Jason said. "This place where we're standing would have been a pool with a fountain. A lot of times, if the nymphaeum belonged to a demigod, he or she would invite nymphs to live there. If the spirits took up residence, that was considered good luck."

"For the owner," Percy guessed. "But it would also bind the nymphs to the new water source, which would be great if the fountain was in a nice sunny park with fresh water pumped in through the aqueducts—"

"But this place has been underground for centuries," I guessed "Dry and buried. What would happen to the nymphs?"

The sound of water changed to a chorus of hissing, like ghostly snakes. The rippling light shifted from sea blue and green to purple and sickly lime. Above them, the nine niches glowed. They were no longer empty.

Standing in each was a withered old woman, so dried up and brittle they reminded me of mummies—except mummies didn't normally move. Their eyes were dark purple, as if the clear blue water of their life source had condense and thickened inside them. Their fine silk dresses were now tattered and faded. Their hair had once been piled in curls, arranged with jewels in the style of Roman noblewomen, but now their locks were disheveled and dry as straw. If water cannibals actually existed, this is what they look like.

 _"What would happen to the nymphs?"_ said the creature in the center niche.

She was in even worse shape than the others. Her back was hunched like the handle of a pitcher. Her skeletal hands had only the thinnest papery layer of skin. On her head, a battered wreath of golden laurels glinted in her roadkill hair.

She fixed her purple eyes on me. "What an interesting question, my dear. Perhaps the nymphs would still be here, suffering, waiting for revenge."

…

I considered bolting for the stairs, but when I turned, the doorway had disappeared. Naturally. Nothing was there now but a blank wall. I suspected it wasn't another trick of the Mist. Besides, I would never make it to the opposite side of the room before the zombie nymphs could jump on us.

Jason and Percy stood on either side of me, their swords ready, and Percy hitting the button on his wrist watch, spiraling out his shield. I was glad to have them close, but I suspected their weapons wouldn't do any good. I'm starting to doubt that the Mark of Achilles will protect Percy from what was about to come. I'd seen what would happen in this room. Somehow, these things were going to defeat us.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded.

The central nymph turned her head. "Ah… names. We once had names. I was Hagno, the first of the nine!"

Percy frowned as if the name ringed some kind of bells in his mind.

I thought it was a cruel joke that a hag like her would be named _Hagno_ , but I decided not to say that.

"The nine," Jason repeated. "The nymphs of this shrine. There were always nine niches."

"Of course." Hagnos bared her teeth in a vicious smile. "But we are the _original_ nine, Jason Grace, the ones who attended the birth of your father."

Jason's sword dipped. "You mean Jupiter? You were there when he was _born_?"

Just then Percy's eyes widened. "You're the Nymphs who—along with Amaltheia—looked after Zeus—back when he was only known saw as Zeus—when he was a baby and kept him safe from his father."

"That's right, son of Poseidon," Hagno said. "Nice to know someone knows about the hard work we put in for that squealing whelp. We attended Rhea in her labor. When the baby arrived, we hid him so that his father, Kronos, would not eat him. Ah he had lungs, that baby! It was all we could do to drown out the noise so Kronos could not find him. When Zeus grew up, we were promised eternal honors. But that was in the old country, in Greece."

"But how did you end up in Rome?" Percy asked, "What happened to you guys?"

The other nymphs wailed and clawed at their niches. They seemed trapped in them as if their feet were glued to the stone along with the decorative fossilize seashells.

"When Rome rose to power, we were invited here," Hagno said. "A son of Jupiter tempted us with favors. _A new home,_ he promised. _Bigger and better! No down payment, an excellent neighborhood. Rome will last forever."_

"Forever," the others hissed.

"We gave in to temptation," Hagno said. "We left our simple wells and springs on Mount Lycaeus and moved here. For centuries, our lives were wonderful! Parties, sacrifices, in our honor, new dresses and jewelry every week. All the demigods of Rome flirted with us and honored us."

The nymphs wailed and sighed.

"But Rome did not last," Hagno snarled. "The aqueducts were diverted. Our master's villa was abandoned and torn down. We were forgotten, buried underneath the earth, but we could not leave. Our life sources were bound to this place. Our old master never saw fit to release us. For centuries, we have withered here in the darkness, thirsty… so thirsty."

The others clawed their throats.

I felt my own throat closing up from thirst.

"I'm sorry for you," I said, trying to use my charmspeak. "That must have been terrible. But we're not your enemies. If we can help you—"

"Oh, such a sweet voice!" Hagno cried. "Such a beautiful feature. I was once young like you. My voice was as soothing as a mountain stream. But do you know wat happens to a nymph's mind when she is trapped in the dark, with nothing to drink but thoughts of violence? Yes, my dear. You can help us."

"But I'm a son of Poseidon," Percy said. "I even know Amaltheia, she helped me out a few times in the past. I'm willing to summon a new water source to help you just as Amaltheia helped me."

"Ha!" Hagno cried, and the other eight echoed, "Ha! Ha!"

"Indeed, son of Poseidon," Hagno said. "I know your father well, and of your adventures with the immortal she-goat. Ephialtes and Otis promised you would come with that story."

I put my hand on Jason's arm for balance.

"The giants," I said. "You're working them?"

"They are our neighbors," Hagno smiled. "Their chamber lies beyond this place, where the aqueduct's water was diverted for the games. Once we have dealt with you… once you have _helped_ us… the twins have promised we will never suffer again."

Hagno turned to Jason. "You, child of Jupiter—for the horrible betrayal of your predecessor who brought us here, you shall pay. I know the sky god's powers. I helped raised him as a baby! Once, we nymphs controlled the rain above our wells and spring. When I am done with you, we will have that power again. And Percy Jackson, child of the sea god… from you, we will take water, an endless supply of water."

Percy reached for his thermos protectively.

"And you, Piper McLean." Hagno's purple eyes glistened. "So young, so lovely, so gifted with your sweet voice. From you, we will reclaim our beauty. We have saved our last life force for this day. We are very thirsty. From you three, we shall drink!"

All nine niches glowed. The nymphs disappeared, and water poured from their alcoves—sickly dark water, like oil.


	43. Piper's POV Part XI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XI**

I needed a miracle, not a bedtime story. But right then, standing in shock as black water poured in around my legs, I recalled the legend Achelous had mentioned—the story of the flood.

It's not the story of Noah you read in the Bible. It's a different type of flood story my father used to tell me, with dancing ghosts and the skeleton dog. And now that I think about it, I can see why my dad ended up being the type of mortal that spend most of his life better off not knowing the truth.

When I was little, I would cuddle next to my dad in is big recliner. I'd gazed out the windows at the Malibu coastline, and Dad would tell me the story he'd heard from Grandpa Tom back on the rez in Oklahoma.

"This man had a dog," her father always began.

"You can't start a story that way!" I protested. "You have to say _Once upon a time_."

Dad laughed. "But this is a Cherokee story. They are pretty straightforward."

That's true. As I grew up hearing the stories, dad never started one with _Once upon a time_ and over time I accepted it.

"So, anyway, tis man had a dog," Dad started. "Every day the man took his dog to the edge of the lake to get water, and the dog bark furiously at the lake, like he was mad at it."

"Was he?"

"Be patient, sweetheart. Finally, the man got very annoyed with his dog for barking so much, and he scolded it. 'Bad dog! Stop barking at the water. It's only water!' To his surprise, the dog looked right at him and began to talk."

"Our dog can say _Thank you_ ," I volunteered. "And she can bark _Out._ "

Okay, not really, except maybe when a stranger comes bye, our dog might have actually barked something like _Out_ to them. But I was young and even then I like to think like she could.

"Sort of," my dad agreed—even he knew better, "But this dog spoke entire sentences. The dog said, 'One day soon, the storms will come. The waters will rise, and everyone will drown. You can save yourself and your family by building a raft, but first you need to sacrifice me. You must throw me into the water."

"That's terrible!" I said. "I would never drown my dog!"

"The man probably said the same thing. He thought the dog was lying—I mean, once he got over the shock that his dog could talk. When he protested, the dog said, 'If you don't believe me, look at the scruff of my neck. I am already dead."

"That's sad! Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you asked me to," Dad would remind me.

And it was true. Despite how terrible or sad the story was I always found it fascinating and asked my dad to tell it. I just can't help but think about the story.

"Anyway," said Dad, "the man grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck and saw that its skin and fur were already coming apart. Underneath was nothing but bones. The dog was a skeleton dog."

"Gross."

"I agree. So with tears in his eyes, the man said good-bye to his annoying skeleton dog and tossed it into the water, where it promptly sank. The man built a raft, and when the flood came, he and his family survived."

"Without the dog."

"Yes. Without the dog. When the rains subsided, and the raft landed, the man and his family were the only ones alive. The man heard sounds from the other side of a hill—like thousands of people laughing and dancing—but when he raced to the top, alas, down below he saw nothing except bones littering the ground—thousands of skeletons of all the people who had died in the flood. He realized the ghost of the dead had been dancing. That was the sound he heard."

I waited for more, but nothing came. "And?"

"And, nothing. The end."

"You can't end it that way! Why were the ghosts dancing?"

"I don't know," Dad said. "Your grandfather never felt the need to explain. Maybe the ghosts were happy that one family had survived. Maybe they were enjoying the afterlife. They're ghosts. Who can say?"

I was very unsatisfied with that. I had so many unanswered questions. Did the family ever find another dog? Obviously not all dogs drowned, because I had a dog.

I couldn't shake the story. I never looked at dogs the same way, wondering if one of them might be a skeleton dog. And I didn't understand why the family had to sacrifice their dog to survive. Sacrificing yourself, to save your family seemed like a noble thing—a very dog like thing to do.

Now in the nymphaeum in Rome, as the dark water rose to my waist, I wondered why the river god Achelous had to mention that story and what did it have to do with Percy's thermos. It can't be a coincidence Tiberinus brought up the thermos after I saw Percy uncapping it on my knife.

I wished I had a raft, but I feared I was more like the skeleton dog, already dead.


	44. Piper's POV Part XII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XII**

The basin filled with alarming speed. Jason, Percy, and I pounded on the walls, looking for an exit, but we found nothing. We climbed into the alcoves to gain some height but with water pouring out of each niche, it was like trying to balance at the edge of a water fall. Even as I stood in a niche, the water was soon up to my knees from the floor, it was probably eight feet deep and rising fast.

"I'm going to search the bottom," Percy said. "If this place was built as a fountain, there _has_ to be a way to drain the thing. You guys, check the niches for secret exits. Maybe the there's a secret passage something."

It was desperate, but Jason and I agreed.

Percy spiraled his shield back into watch form and jumped in the water. Jason and I climbed from niche to niche, kicking and pounding, wigging any fully form seashells embedded in the stone; but we had no luck.

Sooner than I expected, Percy broke the surface gasping and swam to us. I noticed something was wrong when Percy sluggishly swim through the water. I heard about this guy being an athletic swimmer back in camp, so he shouldn't be struggling through the water.

Jason and I had to help Percy up.

"Couldn't breathe," Percy choked. "The water… the nymphs did something to it. Hardly made it back.

The life force of the nymphs, I thought. It was so poison and malicious, even a son of the sea god couldn't control it.

As the water rose around me, I felt it affecting me too. My leg muscles trembled like I'd been running for miles. My hands turned wrinkled and dry, despite being in the middle of the fountain.

The boys moved sluggishly. Jason's face was pale. He seemed to be having trouble holding his sword. Percy was drench and shivering. His hair didn't look quite so dark, as if the water was leaching out. There was even a gray streak in his hair that I didn't noticed before.

"They're taking our power," I said. "Draining us."

"Jason," Percy cough, "Try some lightning."

Jason raised his sword. The room rumbled, but no lightning appeared. The roof didn't break. Instead, a miniature rainstorm formed at the top of the chamber. Rain poured down, filling the fountain even faster, but it wasn't normal rain. The stuff was just as dark as the water in the pool. Every drop stung my skin.

"Not what I wanted," Jason said.

The water was up to our necks now. I could feel my strength fading. Grandpa Tom's story about the water cannibals were true. Bad nymphs would steal my life.

"We'll survive," I murmured to myself, but I couldn't charmspeak way out of this. Soon the poisonous water would be over our heads. We'd have to swim, and this stuff was already paralyzing us.

We would drown, just like the visions I'd seen.

Percy started pushing the water away with the back of his hand, like he was shooing a bad dog. "No good, I can't control it."

 _You will need to sacrifice me,_ the skeleton dog had said in the story. _You must throw me into the water._

I felt like someone had grabbed the scruff of my neck and exposed the bones. I clutched my cornucopia. I started to realize what Achelous meant, and how it tied to Percy's thermos

"We can't fight this," I said. "If we hold back, that just makes us weaker."

"What do you mean?" Jason shouted over the rain.

The water was up to our chins. Another few inches, and we'd have to swim. But the water wasn't halfway to the ceiling yet. I hoped that meant we still had time.

"Percy need to combine the power of your thermos with the horn of plenty," I said. "We have to overwhelm the nymphs with _fresh_ water, give them more tan they can use. If we can dilute this poisonous stuff—"

"We might be able to help the nymphs," Percy said trying to keep his head above water. "If I remember correct the Cornucopia is powered by positive emotion. If you and Jason focus on positive emotions on water…"

"It should poor out water," I agreed. "Jason, think about rainstorms—much more rain."

Jason nodded in agreement as Percy uncapped his thermos.

Jason and I huddled together and Percy aimed his thermos at the water. I tried to remember the safety lessons my dad had given me when we started surfing. To help someone who's drowning, you put your arm around them from behind and kick your legs in front of you, moving backward like you're doing the backstroke. I did that with Jason to help him stay afloat as we held the cornucopia between us.

At first nothing happened and my legs were turning led.

"Don't hold anything back! Poor everything you got into it" Percy shouted as his thermos fired a full on blast of water.

As he did the rain started turning white which meant I was onto something.

This tie I bent all my concentration into the horn of plenty as well. The Nymphs wanted my voice, fine. I imagine all my power flooding out of me.

 _I'm already dead,_ I told myself, as calm as the skeleton dog. _This is the only way._

Clear water blasted out of the horn with such force, it pushed Jason and me to the wall. The rain changed to a white torrent, so clean and cold it made me gasp.

"It's working," Jason said.

"Yeah, but it's filling the room faster," Percy added.

He was right. The water rose so quickly; the roof was only a few feet away. I could've reached up and touched the miniature rain clouds.

"Don't stop!" I said. "We have to dilute the poison until the nymphs are clean."

"What if they _can't_ be cleaned?" Jason asked. "They've been down here turning evil for thousands of years."

"She's right! We have to try," Percy said. "In order to save the nymphs we have to clean their domain so they can be free and able to do it themselves."

Somehow I couldn't shake this feeling that what Percy just said seemed to be coming from somewhere else, but I nodded.

"Don't hold back!" I said. "Give everything. Even if we go under—"

My head hit the ceiling. The rainclouds dissipated and melted into the water. Both the horn of plenty and thermos kept blasting out clean water.

I pulled Jason closer and kissed him.

"I love you," I said.

The words just poured out of me, like the water for the cornucopia. I couldn't tell what his reaction was because we were underwater.

I held my breath. The current roared in my ears. Bubbles swirled around me. Light still rippled through the room, and I was surprised to see it. Was the water getting cleaner?

My lungs were about to burst, but I poured my last energy into the cornucopia. Water continued to stream out, though there was no room for more. Would the walls cracked under pressure?

Then my vision went dark.

I thought the roar in my ears was my own dying heartbeat. Then I realized the room was shaking. The water swirled faster. I felt myself sinking.

With my last strength, I kicked upward. My head broke the surface and I gasped for breath. The cornucopia stopped. The water was draining almost as fast as it had filled the room.

Percy burst out of the water. But he didn't gasped for air, as if he already had underwater.

"It worked! I can breathe underwater again!" Percy said.

That's when I realized Jason was still underwater and he wasn't in my arms. "Jason!"

"I'll get him!" Percy dived in like he done it a thousand times before.

Percy resurfaced with Jason, who was as lifeless as a ragdoll.

"Jason!" I cried.

"Piper, Jason will be okay, but I need to get the water out of his lungs," Percy said.

Just as he said that the water drained completely.'

"Well, that will make things easier," Percy said.

I rushed to Jason's side as Percy touched Jason's forehead. Then Water gushed out of Jason's mouth. His eyes flew and a clap of thunder threw Percy and me backwards.

When my vision cleared, I saw Jason sitting up, still gasping, but the color was coming back to his face.

"Sorry," he coughed. "Didn't mean to—"

I tackled him with a hug. I would have kissed him, but I didn't want to suffocate him.

Percy grinned as he looked better himself, although he still had that gray streak in his hair. "In case you're wondering, that was clean water in your lungs. I could make it come out with no problem."

"Thanks, man," Jason clasped his hand weakly. "But I think Piper's the real hero. This was original her plan."

 _Yes, it was,_ a voice echoed through the chamber.

The niches glowed. Nine figures appeared, but they were no longer withered creatures. They were young, beautiful nymphs in shimmering blue gowns, their glossy black curls pinned up with silver and gold brooches. Their eyes were gentle shades of blue and green.

As I watched, the eight of the nymphs dissolved into vapor and floated upward. Only the nymph in the center remained.

"Hagno?" I asked.

The nymph smiled. "Yes, my dear. I didn't think such selfless existed… especially in demigods. No offense."

Percy got to is feet. "None taken. Just don't go drowning every demigod you see again."

Hagno winced. "Sorry about tat. I was not myself. But you have reminded me of the sun and the rain and the streams in the meadows. Jason, thanks to you I remember the sky. Percy, thanks to you, not only I remember the sea and I sensed your love of the sea. My sisters and I could see why Lord Pan entrusted to carry on his last words."

"How?" Percy asked.

"We sensed your final thoughts when you last spoke," Hagnos said.

Percy winced. "Yeah… sorry about that. It just came to my mind."

"Don't be. Now my sisters are already out to find what is left of our home that is still wildlife in order to preserve it and I plan to do the same," Hagno said, "But before I do, I must thank you too, Piper. You shared something even better than clear running water. You have good nature. And I'm a nature spirit. I know what I'm talking about."

Hagno pointed to the other side of the room. The stair to the surface reappeared. Directly underneath, a circular opening shimmered into existence, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through. I suspected tis was how the water had drained out.

"You may return to the surface," Hagno said. "Or, if you insist, you may follow the waterway to the giants. But choose quickly, because both doors will fade soon after I am gone. That pipe connects to the old aqueduct line, which feeds both this nymphaeum and the hypogeum that the hypogeum that the giants called home."

"Good luck, Hagno," Piper said. "And thank you."

The nymph smiled one last time and vaporized.

Briefly, the nymphaeum glowed with a softer light, like a full moon. I smelled exotic spices and blooming roses. I heard distant music and happy voices talking and laughing. I guessed I was hearing hundreds of years of parties and celebrations that had been held at this shrine in ancient times, as if the memories had been freed along with the spirits. Most importantly, it made me realize what the Flood story really meant.

"What is that?" Jason asked nervously.

I slipped my hand into his. "The ghosts are dancing. Come on. We'd better go meet the giants."


	45. Percy's POV Part IX

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part IX**

Coming close to drowning for the second time one life time is two times too many for me. When this is over and we make it out of this alive, I want to take Annabeth on a date at Montauk beach just the two of us. Perhaps around my birthday since that's also our one-year anniversary before school starts.

But for now I need to focus on the quest on hand and keep sending silent prayers to Athena to help Annabeth survive her quest.

I still can't believe I let my mind drift to Pan's last words back in the fountain. I'm glad the original nine nymphs didn't go stir crazy calling me a liar. Most nature spirits would do that after they heard Lord Pan is dead.

But Hagno wasn't lying. No matter how many times I almost drown, I can't get myself to fear or hate the sea. It's one of few places other than at Camp Half-Blood and my mom's apartment that I feel at peace. I always figured it had to do with the sea being my dad's domain and whenever I'm near it, my dad was watching over me.

I wish I knew my dad had my back right now, but with him being schizophrenic I can't be sure. Frank, Hazel, and Leo were still missing in action. No word of Annabeth completing her quest (which is making me more worried by the second). We still had to save Nico di Angelo, assuming the guy wasn't already dead. And there was that little matter of the giants destroying Rome, waking Gaea, and taking over the world.

I took the lead as we crawled down the drainage pipe. After thirty feet, it opened into a wide tunnel. To our left, somewhere in the distance, I heard rumbling and creaking, like a huge machine needed oiling. I had absolutely no desire to find out what was making that sound, so I figured that must be the way to go.

Several feet later, we reached a turn in the tunnel. I held up my hand, signaling Jason and Piper to wait. I peeked around the corner.

The corridor opened into a vast room with twenty-foot ceilings and rows of support columns. It looked like the same parking-garage-type area I had seen in my dreams, but now much more crowded with stuff.

The creaking and rumbling came from huge gears and pulley system that raised and lowered sections of the floor for no apparent reason. Water flowed through open trenches, powering waterwheel that turned some of the machines. Other machines were connected to huge hamster wheels with hellhounds inside. I couldn't help thinking of Mrs. O'Leary, and how much she would hate being trapped inside one of those. Naturally that made me angry.

Suspended from the ceiling were cages of live animals—a lion, several zebras, a whole pack of hyenas, and even an eight-headed hydra. Ancient-looking bronze and leather conveyor belts trundled along with stacks of weapons and armor, sort of like the Amazon's warehouse in Seattle, except this place was obviously much older and not as well organized.

I bet Leo would have loved this place. The whole room was like one massive, scary, unreliable machine.

"What is it?" Piper asked.

I wasn't even sure how to answer. I didn't see the giants, so gestured for his friends to come forward and take a look.

About twenty feet inside the doorway, a life-size wooden cutout of a gladiator pipped up from the floor. It clicked and whirred along the conveyor belt, got hooked on a rope, and ascended through a slot in the roof.

Jason murmured, "What the heck?"

We stepped inside. I scanned the room. There were several thousand things to look at, most of them in motion, but one good aspect of being an ADHD demigod was that I was comfortable with chaos. About a hundred yards away, I spotted a raised dais with two empty oversized praetor chairs. Standing between them was a large bronze jar big enough to hold a person.

Piper frowned. "That's too easy."

"It's never too easy for demigods," I stated.

"But we have no choice," Jason said. "We got to save Nico."

"We will," I said. "But we should take things cautiously. We should spit up and cover grounds."

Jason and Piper nodded as.

I started across the room, picking my way around every conveyor belt and moving platforms. Jason and Piper both found their own way around the room.

The hellhounds in the hamster wheels paid us no attention. They were too busy running and panting, their red eyes glowing like headlights. The animals in the other cages gave me bored looks, as if to say, _I'd kill you, but it would take too much energy._

I tried to watch out for traps, but _everything_ here looked like a trap. It reminded me of my time in the Labyrinth a few years ago. It made me wish Hazel was here. Not only she could help us with her underground skills, and in the process be reunited with her brother.

I jumped over the water trench and ducked under a row of cage wolves. I was halfway to the bronze jar and looked around. Jason and Piper were also half way to the jar from the left and right side.

That's when a ceiling opened over us.

A platform lowered, and standing on it like an actor with one hair raised and his head high, was the purple-haired giant Ephialtes.

Just like I had seen in my dreams, the Big F was small by giant standards—about twelve feet tall—but he had tried to make up for it with his loud outfit. He'd changed out of the gladiator armor and now was wearing a Hawaiian shirt that even Dionysus would've found vulgar. It had a garish print made up of dying heroes, horrible tortures, and lions eating slaves in the Colosseum. The giant's hair was braided with gold and silver Mark of Athena coins. He had a ten-foot spear strapped to his back, which wasn't a good fashion statement with the shirt. He wore bright white jeans and leather sandals on his curved snakeheads that were his feet. The snakes flick their tongues and writhed as if they didn't appreciate holding up the weight of a giant.

Ephialtes smiled at us like he was really, really pleased to see us.

"At last!" he bellowed. "So very happy! Honestly, I didn't think you'd make it past the nymphs, but it's so much better that you dd. Much more entertaining. You're just in time for the main events.

Jason and Piper closed in closer. Having them here made me feel a little better. This giant was smaller than a lot of monsters I had faced, but something about him made my skin crawl. Ephialtes' eyes danced with crazy light.

"Let our friend go!" I yelled.

"Of course," Ephialtes said. "Though I fear he's a bit past his expiration date. Otis, where are you?"

A stone throw away, the floor opened and the other giant rose on a platform.

"Otis, finally!" his brother cried with glee. "You're not dressed the same as me! You're…" Ephialtes expression turned to anger, _"What are you wearing?"_

I heard of King Tut. Even demigods heard of the name of the youngest pharaoh in ancient Egypt. I have to say, Otis looked like a giant grumpy version of the him.

Otis wore a white Egyptian robe with a gold and blue slash around the waist, a neck wrap of some kind—I forget what it's called—and an Egyptian crown over his head. Along with his attire he seemed to holding a curve sword and a staff of somekind.

"Gods and Titans!" Ephialtes yelled. "We agreed on you wearing gladiator clothing. That's Ancient Egyptian! What were you _thinking_?"

"This was a lot more comfortable," Otis replied. "Plus I feel like a king wearing this which goes well with the Armegedon." He raised his eyebrows hopefully at my friends and me. "I have some extra slave costumes—"

"No!" Ephialtes snapped. Then he turned to face me. He grinned so painfully, he looked like he was being electrocuted.

"Please excuse my brother," he said. "His stage presence is outside our culture, and he has _no_ sense of style."

This coming from a guy wearing a Hawaiian shirt that not even Mr. D would be caught wearing.

"Okay." I responded. "Now, about our friend…"

"Oh, him," Ephialtes sneered. "We were going to let him finish dying in public, but he has no entertainment value. He's spent _days_ curled up sleeping. What sort of spectacle is that? Otis, tip the jar."

Otis trudged over to the dais, stopping occasionally to do an Egyptian dance which really I didn't need to see. He knocked over the jar, the lid popped off, and Nico di Angelo spilled out. The sight of is deathly pale face and too-skinny frame made my heart stop. I couldn't tell whether he was alive or dead. I wanted to rush over and check, but Ephialtes stood in our way.

"Now we have to hurry," said the Big F. "We should go through your stage directions. The hypogeum is all set!"

I was ready to slice this giant in half and get out of there, but Otis was standing over Nico. If a battle started, Nico was in no condition to defend himself and I don't see his sword or the hunters knife Bianca gave him anywhere in sight. I needed to buy him some recovery time.

Jason raised his gold _gladius_. "We're not going to be part of any show," he said. "And what's a hypo—whatever-you-call-it?"

"Hypogeum!" Ephialtes said. "You're a Roman demigod, aren't you? You should know! Ah, but I supposed if we do our job right down here in the underworks, you really wouldn't know the hypogeum exists."

"I know that word," Piper said. "It's the area under the coliseum. It housed all the set pieces and machinery used to create special effects."

Ephialtes clapped enthusiastically. "Exactly so! Are you a student of the theater, my girl?"

"Uh… my dad's an actor."

"Wonderful!" Ephialtes turned toward his brother. "Did you hear that, Otis?"

"Actor," Otis murmured. "Everybody'd an actor."

"At any rate, my girl," Ephialtes continued, "you're absolutely right, but _this_ hypogeum is much more than the stage work for a coliseum. You've heard that in the old days some giants were imprisoned under the earth, and from time to time they would cause earthquakes when they tried to break free? Well, we've done much better! Otis and I have been imprisoned under Rome for eons, but we've kept busy building our very own hypogeum. Now we're ready to create the greatest spectacle Rome has ever seen—and the last!"

At Otis feet, Nico shuddered, which told me immediately he was alive. This is great! Now we just have to defeat the giants, preferably without destroying the city of Rome, and get out of here to find our friends.

"So!" I said, hoping to keep the giants' attention on me. "Stage directions, you said?"

"Yes!" Ephialtes said. "Now, I _know_ the bounty stipulates that you and the girl should be kept alive if possible, but honestly, the girl is already doomed—if not dead already."

My mouth tasted as bad nymph water. "Annabeth's not dead!" I responded.

"Oh, we'll see," the giant said. "We've got your other friends locked up as well."

Piper made a strangled sound. "Leo? Hazel and Frank?"

"Those are the ones," Ephialtes agreed. "As I was saying, we'll use _them_ for the sacrifice so that her Ladyship is free to kill the Athena girl. And we can use you three for the show! Gaea will be a bit disappointed, but really, this is a win-win. Your deaths will be _much_ more entertaining."

Jason snarled. "You want entertaining? I'll give you entertaining."

I was with Jason on that. I was tempted to grab my thermos and give these two giants a mouth full of sea water.

However, Piper stepped forward and somehow managed a sweet smile. "I've got a better idea," she told the giants. "Why don't you let us go? That would be an incredible twist. Wonderful entertainment value, and it would prove to the world how cool you are."

Nico stirred. Otis looked down at him which caused the pharaoh's hat to dipped a little over his eyes. His snaky feet flicked their tongues at Nico's head.

"Plus!" Piper said quickly. "Plus, we could do some dance moves as we're escaping. Maybe an Egyptian dance."

I wanted to argue that I don't dance like a Egyptian, but before I could, Otis forgot all about Nico. He lumbered over and wagged is fingers at Ephialtes. "See? Egyptians had taste of show! It could be incredible."

I got this feeling they been arguing against Pharaoh costume a long time. But this time Ephialtes seemed to be considering Piper's suggestion.

At last he shook his head. "No… no, I'm afraid not. You see my girl; I am anti-Dionysus."

 _Only after he killed you and became an Olympian,_ I thought but didn't say out loud.

"I have a reputation to uphold," Ephialtes continued. "Dionysus thinks he knows parties? He's wrong! His revels are tame compared to what I can do. That old stunt we pulled for instance, when we piled up mountains to reach  
Olympus—"

"I told you that would never work," Otis muttered.

"And the time my brother covered himself with meat and ran through an obstacle course of drakons—"

"You said Hephaestus-TV would show it during prime time," Otis said. "No one even _saw_ me."

"Well, this spectacle will be _even_ better," Ephialtes promised. "The Romans always wanted bread and circuses—food and entertainment! As we destroy their city, I will offer them both. Behold, a sample!"

Something fell from the ceiling and landed at my feet: a loaf of sandwich bread in a white plastic wrapper with red and yellow dots.

I pick it up. "Wonder bread?"

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Ephialtes' eyes danced with crazy excitement. "You can keep that loaf. I plan on distributing millions to the people of Rome as I obliterate them."

"Wonder bread is good," Otis admitted. "Though the Romans should dance for it."

What is with this guy and dancing?

I glanced over at Nico, who was just starting to move. I wanted him to be at least conscious enough to crawl out of the way when the fighting started. And I needed more information from the giants about Annabeth, and where my other friends were being kept.

"Maybe," I ventured, "you should bring our other friends here. You know, spectacular deaths… the more the merrier, right?"

"Hmm." Ephialtes fiddled with a button on his Hawaiian shirt. "No. It's really too late to change the choreography. But never fear. The circuses will be marvelous! Ah… not the _modern_ sort of circus, mind you. That would require clowns, and I hate clowns."

"Everyone hates clowns," Otis said. "Even other clowns hate clowns."

"Exactly," his brother agreed. "But we have much better entertainment planned! The three of you will die in agony, up above, where all the gods and mortals can watch. But that's just the opening ceremony! In the old day, games went on for days or weeks. Our spectacle—the destruction of Rome—will go on for one full month until Gaea awakens."

"Wait," Jason said. "One month, and Gaea wakes up?"

Ephialtes waved away the question. "Yes, yes. Something about August First being the best date to destroy all humanity. Not important! In her infinite wisdom, the Earth Mother has agreed that Rome can be destroyed foist, slowl and spectacularly. It's only fitting! We'll release wild animals and monsters into the streets. Our special effects department will produce fires and earthquakes. Sinkholes and volcanoes will appear randomly out of nowhere! Ghost will run rampant."

"The ghost thing won't work," Otis said. "Our focus groups say it won't pull ratings."

"Doubters!" Ephialtes said. "This hypogeum can make anything work!"

Ephialtes stormed over to a big table covered with a sheet. He pulled the sheet away, revealing a collection of levers and knob almost as complicated-looking as Leo's control panel on the _Argo II_.

"This button?" Ephialtes said. "This one will eject a dozen rabid wolves into the Forum. And this one will summon automaton gladiator to battle tourist at the Trevi Fountain. This one will cause the Tiber to flood its banks so we can reenact a naval battle right in the Piazza Navona! Percy Jackson, you should appreciate that, as a son of Poseidon."

"I prefer you letting us go," I said.

"He's right," Piper tried again. "Otherwise we get into this whole confrontation thing. We fight you. You fight us. We wreck your plans. You know, we've defeated a lot of giants lately. I'd hate for things to get out of control."

Ephialtes nodded thoughtfully. "You're right."

Piper blinked. "I am?"

"We can't let things get out of control," the giant agreed. "Everything has to be timed perfectly. But don't worry. I've choreographed your deaths. You'll _love_ it."

Nico started to crawl away, groaning.

 _We got to keep the giants attention away from him_ , I thought.

Jason switched sword hand. "And if we refuse to cooperate with your spectacle?"

"Well, you can't kill us." Ephialtes laughed, as if the idea was ridiculous. "You have no gods with you, and that's the only way you could hope for triumph. So really, it would be much more sensible to die painfully. Sorry, but the show must go on."

I met a lot of bad guys and monsters before, but these guys a lot of them. Especially Ephialtes, which means we need to deal with him now while we still have a chance.

I looked at my friends. They nodded knowing that we have to fight.

Together, we charged at them.


	46. Percy's POV Part X

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part X**

Of course things went wrong immediately. Things rarely go in our favor.

The giants vanished in twin puffs of smoke. They reappeared halfway across the room, each in a different spot. I sprinted toward Ephialtes, but slots in the floor opened under my feet, and metal walls sot up on either side, separating me from my friends even more.

The walls started closing in on me like the sides of a vice grip. I jumped up and grabbed the bottom of the hydra's cage. I caught glimpse of Piper leaping across a hopscotch pattern of fiery pits, making her way toward Nico, who was dazed and weaponless and being stalked by a pair of leopards.

Meanwhile Jason charged at Otis who held out his curved sword and staff as if he planned to fight with both weapons. I don't see how either weapon will help him, but then again I don't know as much Egyptian weapons.

I registered all this in a split second, but there wasn't much I could do about it. The hydra snapped at my hands. I swung and dropped, landing in a grove of painted plywood trees that sprang up from nowhere. The trees changed positions as I tried to run through them, so I slashed through them with Riptide.

"Wonderful!" Ephialtes cried. He stood at his control panel about sixty feet to my left. "We'll consider this a dress rehearsal. Shall I unleash the hydra onto the Spanish Steps now?"

He pulled a lever, and I glanced behind me. The cage I had just been hanging from was now rising toward a hatch in the ceiling. In three seconds it would be gone. If I attack the giant, the hydra would ravage the city.

I sighed and capped riptide and switched to my trusty thermos and locked it with one hand. Then I extend my other hand and with a churning feeling in my stomach, I summoned a water blast that was condensed in a form of a hand. I used it grabbed. I used the water to yank the cage down, breaking the chain that was rising the cage to the entrance and set it down gently so the cage wouldn't break.

"Oh, you _are_ a spoilsport, Jackson!" Ephialtes called. "Very well. Battle in here, if you must, but your death won't be nearly as good without the cheering crowd."

He hit a button—which must have been a receiver because the cage lock unlocked and released the hydra.

Great. Just what I need.

I rolled to one side as all eight hydra heads spit acid, turning the floor where I'd been standing into a steaming crater of melted stone. I really hated hydras.

I fought a Hydra once a few years back. I was saved by a battleship with bronze cannons—which wouldn't help me now. But I did remember something else about hydras from the last encounter—their weakness is fire. I doubt I can get the Hydra to fall into that fire pit I saw Piper dodge earlier, but I remember something from my dreams that might work better.

The hydra lashed out. I ducked behind a giant hamster wheel scanned the room. Where is that rocket launcher?

At the dais, I saw Piper stood guard over Nico as the leopard's advance. She aimed her cornucopia and shot a pot roast over the cats' heads. It must have smelled pretty good, because the leopards raced after it.

About eighty feet to Piper's right, Jason battled Otis, sword against spear and staff. Honestly, when I saw the blade I thought of it as a weapon good for head slashes, but Otis must of not saw it the same way because he tried to use it as a regular sword which was kind of useless with its curve blade, giving Jason an advantage.

Meanwhile Ephialtes laughed as he pushed buttons on his control board, cranking the conveyor belts into high gear and opening random animal cages.

Hydras charged around the hamster wheel. I swung behind a column, grabbed a garbage bag full of Wonder bread, and threw it at the monster. The hydra spit acid, which was a mistake. The bag and wrappers dissolved in midair. The Wonder bread absorbed the acid like fire extinguisher foam and splattered against the hydra covering it in a sticky, steaming later of high calorie poisonous goo.

As the monster reeled, shaking its heads and blinking Wonder acid out of its eyes, I looked around for the box of rocket launchers. I didn't find rocket launchers, but I did see an artist easel fitted with rows of missile launchers tucked against the back wall. I spotted bazookas, a grenade launcher, a giant Roman candle, and a dozen other wicked looking weapons. They all seemed to be wired together, pointing in the same direction and connected to a single bronze lever on the side. At the top of the easel, spelled in carnations, were the words: HAPPY DESTRUCTION, ROME!

That would do.

I bolted toward the device. The hydra hissed and charged after me.

"I know," Ephialtes cried out happily. "We can start with explosion along the Via Labicana! We can't keep our audience waiting forever."

I scrambled behind the easel and turned it toward Ephialtes.

The hydra barreled toward me, blocking my view of the giant, but it didn't bother me. I tugged at the lever. It didn't budge.

All eight heads loomed over me, ready to melt me into a pool of sludge. I tugged the lever again. This time the easel shook and weapons began to hiss."

"Duck and cover!" I yelled, hoping my friends got the message.

I leaped to one side at as the easel fired. The sound was like a fiesta in the middle of an exploding gunpowder factory. The hydra vaporizes instantly. Unfortunately, the recoil knocked the easel sideways and sent more projectiles shooting all over the room. A chunk of ceiling collapsed and crushed the waterwheel. More cages snapped off their chains, unleashing two zebras and a pack of hyenas. A grenade exploded over Ephialtes' head, but it only blasted him off is feet. The control board didn't even look damaged.

Across the room, sandbags rained down around Piper and Nico. Piper tried to pull Nico to safety, but one of the bags caught her shoulder and knocked her down.

"Piper!" Jason cried. He ran toward her, completely forgetting about Otis, who went for a head strike with his sword. Oh now Otis figured that sword out.

"Look out!" I yelled.

Jason had fast reflexes. As Otis swiped, Jason rolled and dodge the staff. Then he flicked his hand and summoned a gust of wind that blew the sword out of Otis hand. It flew across the room and dug hit the control board and destroyed it.

"OTIS!" Ephialtes yelled.

"It wasn't my fault!" Otis yelped.

Just then my missile-launcher contraption spits out two last spheres of Roman candle fire. The fiery pink ball of death (I'm not kidding, it was pink) hit the ceiling above both Otis and Ephialtes and exploded in a beautiful shower of light. Colorful sparks pirouetted gracefully around the giants. Then two ten-foot sections of the roof collapsed and crushed them flat along with the controls.

"Okay… that wasn't planned," I responded.

Jason ran to Piper's side. She yelped when he touched her arm. Her shoulder looked unnaturally bent, but she muttered, "Fine. I'm fine." Next to her, Nico sat up, looking around him in bewilderment as if just realizing he'd missed a battle.

Sadly, the giants weren't finished. Both twins busted out of their piles of rubble. Otis' head was slightly caved in and Ephialtes hair was covered in golden ichor. Otis' Egyptian robes were ripped around the stomach area and the only thing keeping the bottom half on was the clothe wrapped around it. So he looked like a belly dancer wearing a pharaoh's hat—which really didn't look good on him.

"I didn't need to see that," I muttered.

"Jackson!" Ephialtes yelled as he swung his spear like a bat. I tried to move but I didn't have time as the spear smacked me across the chest and send my flying across the ground.

I must say, if it wasn't for my Achilles Curse, I would have suffered worse injuries. Jason raced over to me as I stood up.

"As I said before," Ephialtes said, "You cannot kill us. So I guess we're at an impasse. Oh, wait… no we're not! Because we can kill you"

"That," Otis grumbled, picking up his fallen sword. "is the first sensible ting you've said all day, brother."

The giants pointed their weapons at Jason and me—as if ready to turn us into a demigod-kabob.

"We won't give up," Jason growled. "We'll cut you into pieces like Jupiter did to Saturn."

"That's right," Percy said. "You're both dead."

"That's good to hear," said a new voice.

To my right, another platform lowered from the ceiling. Leaning casually on a pinecone-topped staff was a man in purple camp shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals with white socks. He raised is broad-brimmed hat, and purple fire flickered in his eyes. "Especially since I just made this special trip to see how this turned out."


	47. Percy's POV Part XI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XI**

With everything that happened since we sunk a ship full of treasure and soda that I forgot we did that to get Bacchus' approval to help us.

Everything went silent when he appeared. The machines ground to a halt. The wild animal stopped growling.

The two leopards paced over—still licking their lips from Piper's pot roast—and butted their heads affectionately against the god's legs. Bacchus scratched their ears. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. No matter if it's Bacchus or Dionysus, leopards are his—or their—sacred animal.

"Really, Ephialtes," he chided. "Killing demigods is one thing. But using leopards for your spectacle? That's over the line."

The giant made a squeaking sound. "This—this is impossible. D-D—"

"It's Bacchus, actually, my old friend," said the god. "And of course it's possible. Someone told me there was a party going on. By the way—Otis, what are you wearing?"

"It's supposed to be a Egyptian pharaoh robes," Otis mumbled.

"Well put something around your gut! You look ridiculous with a two set attire!"

"It originally was a one set."

I'll admit I will never get use to the differences between the Greek and Roman personas of the Olympians. Sure I met Juno and Hera, Mars and Ares, and now Bacchus and Dionysus, but it still seemed weird.

Bacchus, for instance, was meaner and leaner, with less of a potbelly. He had longer hair, and more spring to his step, and a lot more anger in his eyes. He even managed to make his symbol of power look intimidating.

Ephialtes spear quivered. "You—you gods are doomed! Be gone, in the name of Gaea!"

"Hmm." Bacchus sounded unimpressed. He strolls through the ruin props, platforms, and special effects.

"Tacky," he waved his hand at a painted wooden gladiator, then turned to the machine that looked like an oversized rolling pin studded with knives. "Cheap. Boring. And this…" He inspected the rocket launching contraption I fired not too long ago, which was still smoking. "Tack, cheap, _and_ boring. Honestly, Ephialtes. You have no sense of style."

I decided not to argue against the contraption since it _did_ fall on its side after one shot.

"STYLE?" The giant's face flushed. "I have _mountains_ of style. I _define_ style. I—I—"

"My brother _oozes_ style," Otis suggested.

"Thank you!" Ephialtes cried.

Bacchus stepped forward, and the giants stumbled back. "Have you two gotten shorter?" asked the god.

"Oh, that's low," Ephialtes growled. "I'm quite tall enough to destroy you, Bacchus! You gods, always hiding behind your mortal heroes, trusting the fate of Olympus to the like of _these_."

He sneered at me.

Jason hefted his sword. "Lord Bacchus, are we going to kill these giants or what?"

"Well, I certainly hope so," Bacchus said. "Please, carry on."

I stared at him. "Didn't you come here to help?"

Bacchus shrugged. "Well, I appreciate the show you displayed in my name back at sea, and I also appreciate the sacrifice you made—a whole ship full of diet coke and Diet Pepsi. I'm guessing the diet coke was just incase the other me was listening, right?"

I nodded. "And we sacrificed six million in gold and jewels."

"Yes," Bacchus said, "although with demigod parties of five or more the gratuity is included, so that wasn't necessary."

"What?"

"Never mind," Bacchus said. "At any rate, you got my attention. I'm here. Now I need to see if you're worthy of my help. Go ahead. Battle. If I'm impressed, I'll jump in for the grand finale."

"We slashed one with his brother's own sword," I said, "And dropped the roof on both. What do you consider impressive?"

"Ah, good question…" Bacchus tapped his thyrsus. Then he smiled in a way that made me think, _Uh-oh._ "Perhaps you need inspiration! The stage hasn't properly set. You call this a spectacle, Ephialtes? Let me show you how it's done."

The god dissolved into purple mist. Piper and Nico disappeared.

"Pipes!" Jason yelled. "Bacchus, where did you—?"

The entire floor rumbled and began to rise. The ceiling opened in a series of panels. Sunlight poured in. The air shimmered like a mirage, and I heard the roar of a crowd above us.

The hypogeum ascended through a forest of weathered stone columns into the middle of a ruined coliseum.

My heart did a somersault. This wasn't just any coliseum. It was _the_ Coliseum. The giant's special effects machine had gone over time, laying planks across the ruin support beams so the arena had a proper floor again. The bleachers repaired themselves until they were gleaming white. A giant red and gold canopy extended overhead to provide shade from the afternoon sun. The emperor's box was draped with silk, flanked by banners and golden eagles. The roar of applause came from thousands of shimmering purple Lares or Rome brought back for encore performance.

Vents opened in the floor and sprayed sand across the arena. Huge props sprang up—garage-size mountains of plaster, stone columns, and (for some reason) life-size plastic barnyard animals. A small lake appeared to one side. Ditches crisscrossed the arena floor in case anyone was in the mood for trench warfare. Jason and I stood together facing the twin giants.

Once I was over the shock, I wasn't surprise we were in the Coliseum. Even before Juno dropped me off at the Wolf House, it was no Ancient Roman secret that the gladiator fights in the Coliseum use to be the center of Roman entertainment. My guess is he disappeared with Nico and Piper because of Nico being weaponless and Piper's shoulder, or to make it a two on two fight, or both. But where are they?

"This is a proper show!" boomed the voice of Bacchus. He sat in the emperor's box wearing purple robes and golden laurels. At his left sat Nico and Piper as Piper's shoulder was being tended by a nymph in a nurse's uniform. At Bacchus' right, crouched a satyr (or a faun if they are willing to work for Bacchus for free), offering up Doritos and grapes. The god raised a can of Diet Pepsi and the crowd went respectfully quiet.

I glared at him. "So you're just going to _sit_ there while we fight?"

"Fight us yourself, coward!" Ephialtes bellowed. "Um, without the demigods."

Bacchus smiled lazily. "Juno says she's assembled a worthy crew of demigods destined to be the greatest. Show me. Entertain me, heroes of Olympus. Give me a reason to do more. Being a god has its privileges."

He popped his soda can top, and the crowd cheered.


	48. Percy's POV Part XII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XII**

Why on earth did the Romans decided Dionysus should be more like what Bacchus is now, I will never understand. Sure Dionysus wasn't as warlike and discipline as Bacchus (which fits most Roman god's profiles), but at least it's easier to make a _deal_ with Dionysus.

Heck, even Dakota with his red koolaid with several times the normal amount of sugar addiction is easier a whole lot easier to work with than his father's Roman form.

It angers me so much. Fighting giants was one thing, but it was obvious Bacchus was making it into a game.

My brother surrogate-brother Luke once told me that the gods been using us like pawns. I refused to listen to it because I was loyal to my dad, and I doubt he would use me. I still do, but when a god or titan or even a giant does use me as their pawn, I want to beat them for it.

Unfortunately, right now I didn't have much of a choice but follow Bacchus little request if I'm going to save my friends and find Annabeth.

Plus, Ephialtes and Otis already made my decision for me by attacking first. Together, the giants picked up a fake mountain as big as my apartment back in New York and hurled it at Jason and me.

Jason and I bolted. We dove together into the nearest trench and I quickly flip to my back and spiraled out my shield to defend Jason as the mountain scattered above us, spraying us with plastered shrapnel. With the combination of my shield and Achilles Curse we were unscathed by the attack.

"Nice move," Jason said.

"I can't take all the credit. Thalia did something similar once when we were fighting the Manticore," I explained.

Jason nodded. "Should we try to divide the twins up like last time?"

As tempting as that sounds, last time it didn't work out so well. Jason and I need to work together. Fortunately, a plan ring in my head that might work. One involving an old combination not only Thalia and I did once, but I did with Clarisse by accident and by chance, only at a bigger scale. One of which Bacchus might have helped made possible.

"I got a better idea." I explained my idea to Jason. At first he seemed skeptical but he then nodded. "That might work."

I nodded, "Let's show these guys what a son of Poseidon and Son of Jupiter can do when we work together."

"On three, then?"

"Why wait?"

We charged out of the trench. As I suspected, the twins had lifted another plaster mountain and were waiting for a clear shot. The giants raised it above their heads, preparing to throw, and I caused a water pipe to burst at their feet, shaking their feet, shaking the floor. Jason sent a blast of wind against Ephialtes' chest. The purple-haired giant toppled backward, and Otis lost his grip on the mountain, which promptly collapsed on top of his brother. Only Ephialtes' snake feet stuck out, darting their heads around, as if wondering where the rest of their bod had gone.

The crowd roared with approval, but I suspected Ephialtes was only stunned. We had a few seconds at best.

"Hey, Otis!" I shouted. "You're a poor excuse of an Egyptian Pharaoh! I bet I can make a better one than you!"

"Ahhhhhh!" Otis snatch up his brother's spear that was on the ground and threw, but he was too angry to aim straight. Jason deflect it over my head and into the lake.

"Now?" Jason asked.

"Now," I agreed.

We started backing toward the water, shouting insults about how King Tut look better than him, which was hard to do since neither of us knew a thing about King Tut.

Otis barreled toward us empty-handed, before realizing he was empty handed and charging toward a large body of water.

He tried to stop, but it was too late. Jason and I rolled to either side and Jason summoned the wind, using the giant's own momentum to shove him into the water. Then I used my power to condensed the water into a watery grip on him. A thunder cloud appeared above Jason—who used his _gladius_ to direct it into the lake and blasted Otis into monster dust. Then I quickly created a whirlpool that scattered Otis' essence—slowing down his re-forming.

So far so good, but I knew Jason and I can't keep this up forever. I was already feeling the after effects of the Achilles Curse and I doubt Jason is doing any better after our underground battle.

Just then, the plaster mountain exploded behind us. Ephialtes rose, bellowing with anger.

He searched around for his sphere, not realizing his brother already used it. When he couldn't find it, Ephialtes must have decided to charge us. Apparently, getting flattened under a plaster mountain had only energized him. His eyes danced with murderous light. The afternoon sun glinted in his coin-braided hair. Even his snake feet looked angry, baring their fangs and hissing.

I kept the lake churning as best as I could. But before we could do anything I noticed something in the sky—rather a flying ship with green fire blazed from the ballista.

"Jason now!" I yelled as I uncapped my thermos.

Jason nodded and summoned another thunder cloud. At the moment I fired water blast, Jason summoned a lightning attack. Ephialtes took a direct hit.

Then before Ephialtes could explode, Jason and I dived into a nearb trench just as an explosion rocked the Colosseum.

When we climbed out, the _Argo II_ was coming in for a landing. There was nothing left of Ephialtes but monster dust. The sand around him seared into glass by the heat of the Greek fire. Otis was trying to reform but only his head was visible as the rest of his body was struggling.

The ghostly crowd gave us a standing ovation as the _Argo II_ extended its landing gear and settle on the arena floor. Leo stood at the helm, Hazel and Frank grinning at his side. Coach Hedge danced around the firing platform, pumping his fist in the air and yelling, "That's what I'm talking about."

At the emperor's box, Piper and Nico looked shock and amazed at what just happened as Jason and I high five each other. Our friends arriving on the _Argo II_ wasn't part of our plan, but we were glad they did.

As for Bacchus, he stood up. "I have decided you are worthy partners for this combat."

"Partners?" Jason growled. "You did nothing."

Bacchus disappeared and reappeared at the edge of the lake. The water drained instantly, leaving an Otis headed pile of mush. Bacchus picked his way to the bottom and looked up at the crowd. He raised his thyrsus.

The crowd jeered and hollered and pointed their thumbs down. I hope that means die.

It must have meant death, because Bacchus smacked Otis' head with his Thyrus, and the giant pile of Otismeal disintegrated.

Then Bacchus climbed out of the lake and strutted over to Ephialtes, who was starting to reform. But before he could, Bacchus smacked him with the Thyrus as well, which ended any chance of Ephialtes' reforming.

The ghost cheered and threw spectral confetti as Bacchus strode around the stadium with his arms raised triumphantly, exulting in worship.

That's another thing I would say about Bacchus. Despite how different the Romans made him from Mr. D, both Bacchus and Dionysus seem to take full credit for the little if any help they did for us.

Bacchus grinned at us. " _That_ , my friends, is a show! And of _course_ I did something. I made sure the giants stayed dead."

As my friends disembarked from the ship, the crowd of ghosts shimmered and disappeared. Piper and Nico struggled down the emperor's box as the Colosseum's magical renovations began to turn into mist. The arena floor remained solid, but otherwise the stadium looked as if it hadn't hosted a good giant killing for eons.

"Well," Bacchus said. "That was fun. You have my permission to continue your voyage."

"Your voyage?" I asked.

"Yes." Bacchus raised an eyebrow. "Although _your_ voyage may be a little harder than you expect, son of Neptune."

"Poseidon," I corrected him automatically. "What do you mean about _my_ voyage?"

"You might try the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building," Bacchus said. "The best place to break through. Now, good-bye, my friend. And, ah, good luck with your final test."

The god vaporized in a cloud of mist that spelled faintly like grape juice. Jason ran to meet Piper and Nico.

Coach Hedge trotted up to me, with Hazel, Frank and Leo close behind. Was that Dionysus?" Hedge asked.

"Bacchus actually," I replied.

"Even better!" Hedge responded. "I love both of them."

Somehow I'm not surprise Hedge like the more warlike persona of Dionysus.

"You're alive," I said to the others. "The giants said you were captured. What happened?"

Leo shrugged. "Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez. You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel."

"I was the weasel," Frank said glumly.

"Basically," Leo explained, "I activated a hydraulic screw with Archimedes device—which is going to be _awesome_ once I install it in the ship, by the way. Hazel sensed the easiest path to drill to the surface. We made a tunnel big enough for a weasel, and Frank climbed up with a simple transmitter that I slapped together. After that, it was just a matter of hacking into Coach Hedge's favorite satellite channels and telling him to bring the ship around to rescue us. After he got us, finding you was easy, thanks to that godly light show and thunderstorm clouds at the Colosseum.

I only understood less than half of Leo's story, but I know enough of Archimedes that when I heard Leo said his name that the technical stuff has to do with him. But I still had a more pressing question. "Where's Annabeth?"

Leo winced. "Yeah, about that… she's still in trouble, we think. Hurt, broken leg—maybe—at least according to this vision Gaea showed us. Rescuing her is our next stop."

Two seconds before I was feeling tired from the Achilles Curse. Now another surge of adrenaline coursed through my body. I wanted to strangle Leo for not going after her first.

"Tell me about the vision," I said. "Tell me everything."

The floor shook. The wooden planks began to disappeared, spilling sand into the pits of the hypogeum below.

"Let's talk on board," Hazel suggested. "We'd better take off while we still can."

…

We sailed out of the Colosseum and veered south over the rooftops of Rome to the Emmanuel Building. We're not sure if Bacchus was hinting Annabeth's location or if he was pulling our legs, but it was the only clue we have.

All around the Piazza del Collosseo, traffic had come to a standstill. A crowd of mortals had gathered, probably wondering about the strange lights and sounds that had come from the ruins. As far as I could see, none of the giant's spectacular plans for destruction had come off successfully. The city looked the same as before. No one seem to notice the huge Greek trireme rising into the sky.

We gathered around the helm as Hazel sat at the stern. Jason bandaged Piper's sprained shoulder while Hazel sat at the stern feeding Nico ambrosia. The son of Hades could barely lift his head right now. His voice was so quiet, Hazel had to lean in whenever he spoke.

Frank and Leo recounted what had happened in the room with Archimedes' spheres, and the visions Gaea shown them in the bronze mirror. Frank started typing at the helm's computer Leo tapped furiously at his controls, "Emmanuel Building. Emmanuel Building." Coach Hedge tried to help by wrestling with an upside-down street map of Rome.

I knelt next to Jason and Piper. "How's the shoulder."

Piper smiled. "It'll heal. Both of you did great."

Jason elbowed me. "We're not a bad team, bro."

I smiled as it was the first time Jason called me bro. I had guessed it was because Jason was still getting use to the idea of me being part of his family so I never pushed it.

"Better than jousting in a Kansas cornfield," I agreed.

"There it is!" Leo cried, pointing to his monitor. "Frank, you're amazing! I'm setting course."

Frank hunched his shoulders. "I just read the name off the screen. Some Chinese tourist marked it on Google Maps."

Leo grinned at the others. "He reads Chinese."

"Just a little bit," Frank said.

"How cool is that?"

"Guys," Hazel broke in. "I hate to interrupt your admiration session, but you should hear this."

She helped Nico to his feet. His skin had been pale since he ran away from camp a few years ago, but now his skin looked like powdered milk. His dark sunken eyes reminded me of photos I'd seen of liberated prisoners-of-war, which Nico basically was.

"Thank you," Nico rasped. His eyes darted nervously around the group. "I'd given up hope."

"You knew about the two camps all along," I said, "Even before Hera and Juno worked together to force Jason and me into her exchange program."

Nico slumped against the helm. "I'm sorry for not telling you Percy, but I knew if I did your life would be in greater danger. I discovered Camp Jupiter last year. My dad led me there, saying it had to do with my destiny. He told me the gods had kept the camps separated for centuries and that I couldn't tell anyone. The time was not right. But he said it would be important for me to know…" he doubled over in a fit of coughing.

Hazel held his shoulders until he could stand again.

"I—I thought Dad was talking about the part of Hal's prediction about me finding Hazel and escort her there. But now… I think he wanted me to know about both camps so I'd understand how important your quest was, and so I'd search for the Doors of Death."

The air literally turned into electricity as Jason started throwing off sparks. I had to backed away from him just enough to make sure I don't get shock.

"Did you find the doors?" I asked.

Nico nodded. "I was a fool. I thought I could go anywhere in the Underworld, but I walked right into Gaea's trap. I might as well have tried running from a black hole."

I had a sinking feeling in my gut as I remember the time Annabeth Grover and I were at the entrance to Tartarus from the Underworld. I remembered a rush of air that tried to pull us in, and would of if we didn't stop Grover's flying shoes in time.

"It's there, isn't it?" I asked. "In the abyss?"

Nico nodded, looking terrified just by the nickname.

"The abyss?" Leo asked.

"Tartarus," I replied. "Annabeth and I been to the entrance of it once when our friend Grover was literally dragged by cursed flying shoes there. When we saved him there was this gust of wind that headed into the abyss."

"You would have to of been far enough for it to not pull you in," Nico said.

"Another few feet we would have been," I admitted.

"But wait, what does that have to do with the Doors of Death?" Frank asked.

Hazel took over from here. "Nico told me that the Doors of Death have two sides—one in the mortal world, and I guess the other one was in Tartarus. The _mortal_ side of the portal is in Greece. It's heavily guarded by Gaea's forces. That's where they brought Nico back into the upper world. Then they transported him to Rome."

Piper must've been nervous, because her cornucopia spits out a cheeseburger. "Where exactly in Greece is this doorway? Maybe we can close it from the Mortal side."

Nico took a rattling breath. "The House of Hades. It's an underground temple in Epirus. I can mark it on a map. But that's where the problem lies. You can't close the portal from just the Mortal side. The two sides are linked and must be closed together. It can only be closed in the abyss."

Hazel pursed her lips. "But almost nobody who ever went into Tartarus ever came back alive. It's the maximum-security prison of Hades, where the old Titans and the other enemies of the gods are bound. It's where all the monsters go when they die on the earth."

Hazel handed Nico his black sword. Nico leaned on it like it was an old man cane. I noticed that Nico's eyes looked like shatter glass. Something in Tartarus must have broke him.

 _Good luck on your final test,_ Bacchus seemed to repeat his final words in my head.

That's when it dawn to me.

"The final test," I said.

Everyone looked at me.

"Bacchus said we still had a final test. Closing the doors of death must be it," I said. "A test we have to pass if we are to defeat Gaea and the giants."

"Percy, it's impossible," Nico said. "I barely survived down there alone. For that to work up here, you need a team strong enough to fight all the monsters down there."

"Well, until we can figure this final test out, I think you guys should know we're at the Emmanuel Building," Leo said.

I looked down and saw a rectangular shape building with two ends of one side sticking out with columns and statues. Next to it was a parking lot where we were heading too.

I remembered my dream of the dark chamber, the evil buzzing voice of the monster called Her Ladyship. I remembered how shaken Annabeth had look when she'd come back from Fort Sumter after her encounter with the spiders.

I know what's under there. I figured it out after that dream vision—the mother of all spiders. And if I was right, Annabeth was down there right now facing it with a broken leg.

This was supposed to be a solo quest, and the situation was bad. But from what Leo told us about what Gaea told him, our situations should have sounded worse than it actually turned out. My only hope is to that Annabeth somehow completed her quest alive just as we did even with a broken leg. We just have to get to her.

I looked at Coach Hedge. "Bacchus said something about _breaking through_. Coach, you still have those ammos for those ballistae?"

The satyr grinned like a wild goat. "I thought you'd never asked."


	49. Annabeth's POV Part XIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XIII**

I had reached my terror limit.

I'd been assaulted by chauvinist ghost. I'd broken my ankle. I'd been chased across a chasm by an army of spiders. Now, in severe pain, with my ankle wrapped in boards and Bubble Wrap, and the only weapon I had on me was my dagger, I faced Arachne—a monstrous half-spider who wanted to kill me and make a commemorative tapestry about it.

In the last few hours, I had shivered, sweated, whimpered, and blink back so many tears that my body simply gave up on being scared. It was as if my mind decided it was as terrified as it can get.

And whenever that happens, I started to think.

The monstrous creature picked her way down from the top of the web-covered statue. She moved from strand to strand, hissing with pleasure, her four eyes glittering in the dark. Either she was not in a hurry, or she was slow.

I hoped she was slow.

Not that it matters. I was in no condition to run, and I didn't like my chances in combat. Arachne probably weight several hundred pounds. Those barbed legs were perfect for capturing and killing prey. Besides, Arachne probably had other horrible powers—a poisonous bite, or web-slinging abilities like an Ancient Greek Spider-Man.

No. Combat was not the answer.

That left trickery and brains.

In the old legends, Arachne had gotten into trouble because of pride. She'd bragged about her tapestries being better than Athena's, which had led to Mount Olympus' first reality TV punishment program: _So You Can Weave Better Than a Goddess?_ Arachne had lost in a big way.

I knew something about being prideful. It was _my_ fatal flaw as well. I have to keep reminding myself that I couldn't do everything alone. I wasn't _always_ the best person for every job. Sometimes I got tunnel vision and forget about what other people needed, even Percy. And I could get easily distracted talking by favorite projects.

When we were kids, whenever I show a little pride Percy would joke around saying: "Your pride is showing." At first it was annoying, but eventually I took it as a warning that I better deflate before it gets out of hand.

I wonder if I could use that weakness against a spider? Maybe if I stall for time… though I wasn't sure how stalling would help. My friends wouldn't be able to reach me, even if they knew where to go. The cavalry would not be coming. Still, stalling was better than dying and since I am impressed with Arachne's tapestries, so I should be convincing enough.

I tried to keep my expression calm, which wasn't easy with a broken ankle. I limped toward the nearest tapestry—a cityscape of Ancient Rome.

"Marvelous," I said. "Tell me about this tapestry."

Arachne's lips curled over her mandibles. "Why do you care? You're about to die."

"Well, yes," I agreed, "But the way you captured the light is amazing. Did you use real golden thread for the sunbeams?"

Arachne allowed herself a smug smile. "No, child. Not gold. I blended the colors, contrasting bright yellow with darker hues. That's what gives it a three dimensional effect."

"Beautiful." My mind split into two different levels: one carrying on the conversation, the other madly grasping for a scheme to survive. So far all that came to my mind was that Arachne had been beaten only once—by Athena herself, and that had taken godly magic and incredible skill in a weaving contest.

"So…" I said. "Did you see this scene yourself"

Arachne hissed, her mouth foaming in a not-very-attractive way. "You are trying to delay your death. It won't work."

"No, no," I insisted. "It just seems a shame that these beautiful tapestries can't be seen by everyone. They belong to a museum, or…"

"Or what?" Arachne asked.

A crazy idea sprang fully formed from my mind, like my mom jumping out of Zeus' noggin. But could I make it work?

"Nothing." I sighed wistfully. "It's a silly thought. Too bad."

Arachne scuttled down the statue until she was perched atop the goddess' shield. Even from that distance, I could smell the spider's stink, like an entire bakery full of pastries left to go bad for a month.

"What?" the spider pressed. "What silly thought?"

I had to force myself not to back away. Broken ankle or no, every nerve in my body pulsed with fear, telling me to get away from the huge spider hovering over me.

"Oh… it's just that after the Titan War I was put in charge of redesigning Mount Olympus." I sighed. "I've completed most of the work, but we need a lot of quality public art. The throne room of the gods, for instance… I was thinking your work would be perfect to display there. The Olympians could finally see how talented you are. As I said, it was a silly thought."

Arachne's hairy abdomen quivered. Her four eyes glimmered as if she had a separate thought behind each and was trying to weave them into a coherent web.

"You're redesigning Mount Olympus," she said. "My work… in the throne room."

"Well, other places too," I said. "The main pavilion could use several of these. That one with the Greek landscape—the Nine Muses would love that. And I bet some of the Roman Gods would go nuts trying to get the tapestry of Rome. Not only that, but I'm sure the other gods would be fighting over your work as well. They'd compete to have your tapestries in their palace. I guess, aside from Athena, none of the gods have ever seen what you can do?"

Arachne snapped her mandibles. "Hardly. In the old days, Athena tore up my best work. My tapestries depicted the gods in rather unflattering ways, you see. Your mother didn't appreciate that."

"Rather hypocritical," I said, "since the gods make fun of each other all the time. I think the trick would be to pit one against another. Ares, for instance, would _love_ a tapestry making fun of my mother. He's always resented Athena."

Arachne's head tilted at an unnatural angle. "You would work against your mother?"

"I'm just telling you what Ares would like," I stated. "And Zeus would love something that made fun of Poseidon. Oh, I'm sure if the Olympians saw your work, they'd realize how amazing you are, and I'd have to broker a bidding war. As for working against my mother, why shouldn't I? She sent me here to die, didn't she? The last time I saw her in New York, she basically disowned me.

I told her the story of how I found Athena at Grand Central, and how she disowned me when I refuse to take part in destroying the Romans. I put in as much bitterness and sorrow I had. Once I was done, the spider-lady didn't pounce on me.

"This is Athena's nature," Arachne hissed. "She casts aside even her own daughter. The goddess would never allow my tapestries to be shown in the palaces of the gods. She was always jealous of me."

"But imagine if you could get your revenge at long last."

"By killing you!"

"I suppose." I scratched my head. "Or… by letting me be your agent. I could get your work into Mount Olympus. I could arrange an exhibit for the other gods. By the time my mother found out, it would be too late. The Olympians would finally _see_ that your work is better."

"Then you admit it!" Arachne cried. "A daughter of Athena admits I am better! Oh, this is sweet to my ears."

"But a lot good it does you," I pointed out. "If I die down here, you go on living in the dark. Gaea will destroy the gods, and they never realize you were the better weaver."

The spider hissed.

I was afraid my mother might suddenly appear and cursed me with some terrible affliction. The first lesson every child of Athena learned: Mom was the best at everything, and you should never, _ever_ suggest otherwise.

But nothing happened. Maybe Athena understood that I was only saying these things to stay alive. Or maybe Athena was in such bad shape, split between her Greek and Roman personalities, that she wasn't even paying attention.

"This will not do," Arachne grumbled. "I cannot allow it."

'Well…" I shifted, trying to keep my weight off my throbbing ankle. Sadly, when I did that, a new crack appeared in the floor, and I hobbled back.

"Careful" Arachne snapped. "The foundations of this shrine have been eaten away over the centuries, and I will _not_ have you dying before you tell me your plan for my art work."

Normally I would be excited that my plan was working, but my heartbeat faltered. "Eaten away?"

"You have no idea how much hatred boils beneath us," the spider said. "The spiteful thought of _so_ many monsters trying to reach the Athena Parthenos and destroy it. My webbing is the only thing holding the room together, girl! One false step, and you'll fall the way to Tartarus—and believe me, unlike the Doors of Death, this would be a one-way trip, a very hard fall!"

My mouth tasted like rust. _All the way to Tartarus?_ Tried to stay focused, but it wasn't easy as I listen to the floor creak and crack, spilling rubble into the void below.

"So… my plan," I said. "As I said, I'd _loved_ to take your tapestries to Olympus and hang them everywhere. You could rub your craftsmanship in Athena's nose for all eternity. But the only way I could do that… No. It's too difficult. You might as well go ahead and kill me."

"No!" Arachne cried. "That is unacceptable. It no longer brings me any pleasure to contemplate. I must have my work on Mount Olympus! What must I do?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Just push me into Tartarus or something."

"I refuse!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Kill me."

"I do not take order from you! Tell me what I must do! I _must_ show my work on Mount Olympus."

At this point I was fighting to keep my excitement contained. But I still had to convince Arachne to do something impossible. I remembered some good advice Frank Zhang had given me: _Keep it simple._

"I supposed I could pull a few strings," I conceded.

"I excel at pulling strings!" said Arachne. "I'm a spider!"

"Yes, but to get your work shown on Mount Olympus, we'd need a proper audition. I'd have to pitch the idea, submit a proposal, but together a portfolio. Hmm… do you have any headshots?"

"Headshots?"

"Glossy black-and-white… Oh, never mind. The audition piece is the most important thing. These tapestries are excellent. But the gods would require something _really_ special—something that shows off your talent in the extreme, but at the same time formality. Something you never done before that the gods won't expect. Don't take what I say the wrong way, but it will be difficult. Are you sure you don't just want to kill me?"

"Stop saying that!" Arachne screeched. "What must I make?"

"I'll show you." I unslung my backpack and took out Daedalus laptop and opened it. The delta logo glowed in the dark.

"What is that?" Arachne asked. "Some sort of loom?"

"In away," I replied. "It's for weaving ideas. It holds diagrams of the artwork you would build. Let me just adjust it so we both can see."

My fingers trembled as I type in the command for Tablet mode. Sure enough the laptop glowed and shrank as the keyboard seem to fuse with the screen. In a few minutes, I was holding a tablet with the delta logo on the back.

This must of got Arachne's attention, because she lowered herself to peer on the screen over my shoulder. I couldn't help thinking how easily those needlelike teeth could sink into my neck.

I opened up my 3-D imaging program on the tablet. My last design was still up—the key to my plan, inspired by the most unlikely muse ever: Frank Zhang.

I did some quick calculations on it. I increased the dimensions of the model, then showed Arachne how it could be created—strands of material woven into strips, then braided into a long cylinder.

The golden light form the screen illuminated the spider's face. "You want me to make that? But this is nothing! So small and simple!"

"The actual size would be much bigger," I cautioned. "You see these measurements? Naturally it must be large enough to impress the gods. It may look simple, but the structure has incredible properties. Your spider silk would be the perfect material—soft and flexible, yet hard as steel."

"I see…" Arachne frowned. "But this isn't even a tapestry."

"That's why it would make a perfect display to the gods. It's changing and outside your comfort zone. None of the gods will expect it and yet looking for. A piece like this—an abstract sculpture—is what the gods are looking for. It would stand in the entry hall of the Olympian throne room for every visitor to see. You would be famous forever!"

Arachne mad a discontented hum in her throat. I could tell she wasn't going for the idea. My hands started to feel cold and sweaty.

"This would take a great deal of web," the spider complained. "More than I could make in a year."

I was hoping for that. I'd calculated the mass and size accordingly. "You'd need to unravel the statue," I said. "Reuse the silk."

Arachne seemed about to object, but I waved at the Athena Parthenos like it was nothing. "What's more important—covering that old statue or proving your artwork is the best? Of course, you have to be incredibly careful. You'd need to leave enough webbing to hold the room together. And if you think it's too difficult—"

"I didn't say that!"

"Okay. It's just… Athena said that creating this braided structure would be impossible for any weaver, even her. So if you don't think you can—"

"Athena said that?"

"Well, yeah."

"Ridiculous! I can do it!"

"Great! But you'd need to start right away, before the Olympians choose another artist for their installations."

Arachne growled. "If you are tricking me, girl."

"You have me right here as a hostage, and it's not like I can run on my broken ankle," I reminded her. "Once this sculpture is complete, you'll agree that it's the most amazing piece you've ever done. If not, I will gladly die."

Please don't make me swear on the river of styx, I thought.

Arachne hesitated. Her barbed legs were so close; she could've impaled me with a quick swipe.

"Fine," the spider said. "One last challenge—against myself!"

Arachne climbed her web and began to unravel the Athena Parthenos.


	50. Annabeth's POV Part XIV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greeknames matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XIV**

So much time had passed—at least I think it did. It was hard to tell with it being so dark in here. Plus, I so busy trying to stay alive, I lost track of time.

On the plus side, I could feel the ambrosia I'd eaten earlier starting to repair my leg. However, it still hurt so badly that the pain throbbed right up to my neck. I didn't want to risk sitting down in case I have to move when the floor cracked.

All along the walls, small spiders scuttled in the darkness, waiting for their mistress' orders. Thousands of them rustled behind the tapestries, making the woven scenes move like the wind.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and sat on the crumbling floor and tried to preserve my strength and let my ankle heal. While Arachne wasn't watching, I attempted to get some sort of signal on Daedalus' Laptop—which was still in tablet form—so I can contact Percy and the others, but of course I had no luck. So I tucked it in my bag, ready to pull out incase Arachne needs to see the 3D diagram again.

So far she hasn't asked yet. In fact, I couldn't help but watch in amazement and horror as Arachne worked, her eight legs moving with hypnotic speed, slowly unraveling the silk strands around the statue.

With its golden clothes and luminous ivory face, the Athena Parthenos was even scarier than Arachne. It gazed down sternly as if to say, _Bring me tasty snacks or else._ I could imagine being Ancient Greek, walking into the Parthenon and seeing this massive goddess with her shield, spear, and python, her free hand holding out Nike, the winged spirit of victory. It would've been enough to put a kink in the _chiton_ of any mortal.

More than that, the statue radiated power. As Athena was unwrapped, the air around her grew warmer. Her ivory skin glowed with life. All across the room, the smaller spiders became agitated and began retreating back into the hallway.

I guessed that Arachne's web had somehow masked and dampened the statue's magic. Now that it was free, the Athena Parthenos filled the chamber with magical energy. Centuries of mortal prayers and burnt offering had been made it its presence. It was infused with the power of Athena.

And if returned just right, it can bring peace between the Greeks and Romans.

Arachne didn't seem to notice the power. She kept muttering to herself, counting out yards of silk and calculating the number of strands her project would require. Whenever she hesitated, I called out encouragement and reminded her how wonderful her tapestries would look on Mount Olympus thanks to this project.

The statue grew so warm and bright that I could see more details of the shrine—the Roman masonry that had probably once been gleaming white, the dark bones of Arachne's past victims and meals hanging in the web, and the massive cables of silk that connected the floor to the ceiling. I now saw just how fragile the marble tiles were under my feet. They were covered in a fine layer of webbing, like a mesh holding together a shattered mirror. Whenever the Athena Parthenos shifted even slightly, more cracks spread and widened along the floor. In some places, there were holes as big as manhole covers. I almost wished it was dark again. Even if my plan succeeded and I defeated Arachne, I wasn't sure how I could make it out of this chamber alive.

"So much silk," Arachne muttered. "I could make twenty tapestries—"

"Keep going!" I called up. "You're doing a wonderful job."

The spider kept working. After what seemed like forever, a mountain of glistening silk was piled at the feet of the statue. The walls of the chamber were still covered in webs. The support cables holding the room together hadn't been disturbed. But Athena Parthenos was free.

 _Please wake up,_ I begged the statue. _Mother, help me._

Nothing happened, but the cracks seemed to be spreading across the floor more rapidly. According to Arachne, the malicious thoughts of the monsters had eaten away at the shrine's foundation for centuries. If that was true, now that it was free the Athena Parthenos might be attracting even more attention from the monsters in Tartarus.

"The design," I said. "You should hurry so we can introduce your work to the world!"

"Hmm," Arachne thought of it, "Very well."

She began to weave. It was slow work, turning silk strands into long strips of cloth. The chamber rumbled. The cracks at my feet became wider.

If Arachne noticed, she didn't seem to care. I considered trying to push the spider into the pit somehow, but I dismissed the idea. The holes were big enough and Arachne could hang from her silk to escape if I do.

Slowly, Arachne finished the long strips of silk and braided them together. Her silk was flawless. I couldn't help being impressed. I felt another flicker of doubt about my own mother. What if Arachne _was_ a better weaver than Athena?

But Arachne's skills weren't the point. She been punished for being prideful and rude. No matter how amazing you were, you couldn't go around insulting the gods. The Olympians were a reminder that there was _always_ someone better than you, so you shouldn't get a big head. Still… being turned into a monstrous immortal spider seemed like a pretty harsh punishment for bragging.

Arachne worked more quickly, bringing the strands together. Soon, the structure was done. At the feet of the statue lay a braided cylinder of silk strips, five feet in diameter and ten feet long. The surface glistened like abalone shell, but it didn't seem beautiful to me. It was just functional: a trap. It would only be beautiful if it worked.

Arachne turned to me with a hungry smile. "Done. Now, my reward! Prove to me that you can deliver on your promises."

I studied the trap. I frowned and walked around it, inspecting the weaving from every angle. Then, careful of my bad ankle, I got down on hands and knees and crawled inside. I'd done the measurements in my head. If I'd gotten them wrong, my plan was doomed. But I slipped through the silken tunnel without touching the sides. The webbing was sticky, but not impossibly so. I crawled out the other end and shook my head.

"There's a flaw," I said. "Inside, right in the middle—a flaw in the weaving."

"What?!" Arachne cried. "Impossible! I don't make mistakes! I followed your instructions—"

"Oh, it's small," I said. "You can probably fix it. But I don't want to show the gods anything but your best work. Look, go inside and check. If you can fix it, then we'll show it to the Olympians. You'll be the most famous artist of all time. They'll probably fire the Nine Muses and hire you to oversee all the arts. The goddess Arachne… yes, I wouldn't be surprised."

"The goddess…" Arachne's breathing turned shallow. "Yes, yes. I will fix this flaw."

She poked her head into the tunnel. "Where is it?"

"Right in the middle," I urged. "Go ahead. It might be a bit snug for you."

"I'm fine!" she snapped, and wriggled in.

As I had hoped, the spider's abdomen fit, but only barely. As she pushed her way in, the braided strips of silk expanded to accommodate her. Arachne got all the way up to her spinnerets.

"I see no flaw!" she announced.

"Really?" I asked. "Well, that's odd. Come out and I'll take another look."

Moment of truth. Arachne wriggled, trying to back up. The woven tunnel contracted around her and held her fast. She tried to wriggled forward, but the trap was already stuck to her abdomen. She couldn't get through that way either. I had been afraid the spider's barbed legs might puncture through the silk, but Arachne's legs were pressed so tightly against her body she could barely move them.

"What—what is this?" she called. "I am stuck!"

"Ah," I said. "I forgot to tell you. This piece of art is called Chinese Handcuffs. At least, it's a larger variation of that idea. I call it Chinese Spidercuffs. Normally these traps are made from woven bamboo, but spider silk is even better. It will hold you fast and it's much too strong to break—even for you."

"Treachery! When I get out you're dead!" Arachne thrashed and rolled and squirmed, but the trap held her tight.

I stepped back as the braided cylinder thrashed. Even with my broken ankle, I could manage to avoid a giant silk finger trap.

"Now if you excuse me, I need to contact my boyfriend about getting the statue out of here so we can use it to bring peace between the Greeks and Romans."

Arachne screamed and flailed and started shooting silk at random directions at tiles and tapestries and silk tearing them apart.

"Stop! You'll tear the chamber apart!" I yelled.

"It's better than letting you win!" Arachne yelled, "Children help me!"

Spiders started crawling out of their hiding spots toward me. I started to panic. I had no way to stop them without unraveling the trap.

 _Mother, please. If I passed the test, help me,_ I thought.

At that moment, the chamber groaned and the cavern ceiling exploded in a blast of fiery light.


	51. Annabeth's POV Part XV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XV**

I had seen strange things before, but I'd never seen it rain cars.

As the roof of the cavern collapsed, sunlight blinded me. I got the briefest glimpse of the _Argo II_ hovering above. It must have used its ballistae to blast a hole straight through the ground.

Chunks of asphalt as big as garage doors tumbled down along with six or seven Italian cars. One would've crushed the Athena Parthenos, but the statue's glowing aura acted like a force field, and the car bounced off. Unfortunately, it fell straight toward me.

I jumped to one side, twisting my bad foot. A wave of agony almost made me pass out.

"Annabeth!" I heard Percy yelled. "Leo lower the flanks I'm going down to help her!"

"Are you crazy?" Leo's voice yelled. "There are debris and cars are still falling."

"Just do it!"

Yep, that's Percy. Only he would risk his life for me like that.

I manage to flip on my back to see a bright red Fiat 500 slam into Arachne's silk trap, punching through the cavern floor and disappearing with the Chinese Spidercuffs and the screaming Arachne, which faded quickly, leaving Athena's Parthenos unharmed but standing on starburst fractures.

I looked up to see the flank lowering until it reached the bottom. Percy was the first down. When he reached the ground, it shook which almost knocked him over. Fortunately, Percy manage to regain balance. "Whoa. That was too close."

Despite the pain and the room shaking, I couldn't help but laughed at Percy's idiotic move. I still had my backpack along with Daedalus' laptop, and my bronze knife strapped to my belt, but I didn't care. I was alive and Percy was here.

I got up and walked over to him, but only stumbled when the room shook slightly. Percy caught me. "It's okay, I got you. You're safe."

I buried my face into his chest and broke into tears. I wasn't even aware that the others had climbed down until I stopped crying.

Our friends had gathered around us. Nico di Angelo was there, but my thoughts were so fuzzy, this didn't seem surprising to me. It seemed only right that he would be with them.

"Your leg," Piper knelt to me and examined the Bubble Wrap cast. "Oh, Annabeth, what _happened_?"

I started to explain what happened, which was difficult at first but over time became easy. Percy didn't let go of my hand, which also made me feel more confident.

When I got to how I made the Bubble Wrap Cast Percy chuckled. "So all those times you use to complain about me being a difficult fake patient during Chiron's first aid training came in handy, huh?"

I playfully punched my boyfriend in the arm as I continued my story. When I was done, my friends' faces were slack with amazement.

"Gods of Olympus," Jason said. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."

"Well… _some_ of it with a broken ankle."

Percy grinned. "That's my girlfriend. The only child of Athena to do what generations of Athena's kids failed—finding the Athena's Parthenos."

"You know what that means, right?" Leo said. "You pass your test. You prove yourself as one of the Prophecy of Seven."

I couldn't help but smile. Leo was right, I did pass my test against all odds. Sure Athena Parthenos isn't completely safe, but something about the warmth coming from that statue told me I have succeeded.

"That's great and all, but what do we do with her?" Frank asked looking at the statue. "She's huge."

"We'll have to take her with us to Greece," I said. "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the Giants."

Leo raised his hands. He made a finger picture frame around the Athena Parthenos like he was talking measurements. "Well, it might take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors in the stable. If she sticks out the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something."

I shuddered. I imagined the Athena Parthenos jutting from our trireme with a sign across her pedestal that read: WIDE LOAD.

Then I thought about the other lines of the prophecy: _The twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the keys to endless death._

"What about you guys?" I asked. "What happened with the giants?"

Percy told me about rescuing Nico, the appearance of Bacchus, his and Jason battle with the twins in the Colosseum that Bacchus only helped after they destroyed the twins (Ephialtes with the help with the _Argo II_ ) to make sure they stayed defeated.

Nico didn't say much. The poor guy looked like he'd been wandering through a wasteland for six weeks. Percy explained what Nico had found out about the Doors of Death, and how they had to be close from both sides. I realized that's why Tiberinus said it was the final test for us. If Nico barely survived Tartarus, how is any of us supposed to?

Even with the sunlight streaming in from above, Percy's news made the cavern seem dark again.

"So the mortal side is in Epirus," I said. "At least that's somewhere we can reach."

Nico grimaced. "But the other side is the problem. Tartarus."

The word seemed to echo through the chamber. The pit where Arachne felt through exhaled a cold blast of air. A feeling I haven't felt since Percy Grover and I were at the Underworld entrance to Tartarus during our first quest. That's when I knew with certainty that the chasm _did_ go straight to the abyss.

Percy must have felt it too as he guided me as far from the edge as we could. My arms and legs trailed the spider silk that Arachne dropped or possibly from the Chinese Spider Cuffs. I didn't even realize it landed on me. I was tempted to take out my dagger and cut the junk off when Percy said. "Bacchus mention something about _my_ voyage being harder than I expected. Not sure why—"

The chamber groaned. The Athena Parthenos tilted to one side. Its head caught one of Arachne's support cables, but the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling.

Nausea swelled in my chest. If the statue fell into the chasm, all my work would be for nothing. Our quest would fail.

"Secure it!" I cried.

My friends understood immediately."

"Zhang!" Leo cried. "Get me to the helm, quick! The coach is up there alone."

Frank transformed into a giant eagle, and the two of them soared toward the ship.

Jason wrapped his arm around Piper. He turned to Percy. "Back for you guys in a sec." He summoned the wind and shot into the air.

"This floor won't last!" Hazel warned. "We should get to the ladder."

Plumes of dust and cobwebs blasted from holes in the floor. The spider silk support cables trembled like massive guitar strings and began to snap. Hazel lunged for the bottom rope of ladder and gestured for Nico to follow, but Nico was in no condition to sprint.

Percy gripped my hand tighter. "We can use the Thermos to see if I can blast both of us up."

"But it might also destroy the remains of the cavern before we can secure Athena's Parthenos," I reminded as grappling lines shoot from the _Argo II_ and wrapped around the statue. One lassoed Athena's neck like a noose. Leo shouted orders from the helm as Jason and Frank flew frantically from line to line, trying to secure them.

"Right! We'll take the ladder then," Percy responded.

Nico had just reached the ladder when a sharp pain shot up my bad leg. I gasped and stumbled.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

I tried to stagger toward the ladder. Why was I moving backward instead? My leg swept out from under me and I fell on my face."

"Her ankle!" Hazel shouted from the ladder. "Cut it! Cut it!"

My mind was wooly from pain. Cut my ankle.

Just then something yanked me backward and dragged me toward the pit. Percy lunged and grabbed my arm. But the momentum only carried him along with me.

"Help them!" Hazel yelled.

I glimpsed Nico hobbling in our direction as Hazel tried to disentangle her cavalry sword from the rope ladder. The rest of our friends were still focused on the statue, and Hazel's cry was lost in the general shouting and rumbling of the cavern.

I sobbed as I hit the edge of the pit. My legs went over the side. Too late, I realized what was happening. I was tangled in the spider silk. I should have cut away immediately. I had thought it was just a loose line, but with the entire floor covered in cobwebs, I hadn't noticed that one of the strands was wrapped around my foot—and the other end went straight into the pit. It was attached to something heavy down in the darkness, something that was pulling me in.

"No," Percy muttered, light dawning in his eyes. "My sowrd…"

But he couldn't reach his sword or thermos without letting go of my arm, and my strength was gone. I slipped over the edge and Percy fell with me.

My body slammed into something. I must have blacked out briefly from the pain. When I could see again, I realized that I'd fallen partway into the pit and was dangling over the void. Percy had managed to grab a ledge about fifteen feet below the top of the chasm. He was holding on with one hand, gripping my wrist with the other, but the pull on my leg was too much, and since Percy been through so many battles with the Curse of Achilles, I figured he won't be able to hold on forever.

 _No escape,_ said a voice from the darkness. _I go to Tartarus, and you will come too._

I wasn't sure if I actually heard Arachne's voice or if it was just in my mind.

The pit shook. Percy was barely holding onto the ledge the size of a bookshelf.

Nico leaned over the edge of the chasm, thrusting out his hand, but he was much too far away to help. Hazel was yelling for the others, but even if they heard over the chaos, they'd never make it in time.

My leg felt like it was pulling free of my body. Pain washed everything in red. The force of the pit tugged at me like dark gravity. I didn't have the strength to fight. I knew I was too far down to be saved.

"Percy, let me go," I croaked. "You can't pull me up."

His face was white from the effort as sweat beaded down his face. I could see in his eyes that he knew it was hopeless.

"Never," he said. He looked up at Nico, fifteen feet above. "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand?"

Nico's eyes widened. "But—"

"It's the final test. You must lead the others there so we can finish it," I shouted. "Swear on the River of Styx."

"I—I swear on the River of Styx."

The cavern shook as a voice laughed in the darkness. _Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess._

Percy tighten his grip on my wrist. His face was gaunt, his hair dusted with cobwebs and the gray streak in his hair was clear as day, but when his eyes locked with mine, I thought he had never looked more handsome.

"We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."

Only then did I understand what would happen. _A one-way trip. A very hard fall._

"As long as we're together," I agreed.

I heard Nico and Hazel screaming for help. I saw the sunlight far, far above—maybe the last sunlight I would see in a long time—maybe forever.

Then Percy let go of his tiny ledge, and together, holding hands we fell into the endless darkness.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know a bunch of you guys didn't want Percy and Annabeth to fall through, and as tempting as it was to cut the House of Hades original 76 chapters by a quarter, I decided this was for the best. But hey, at least I had Annabeth kept her backpack and dagger, and she will still get the drakon sword to help her survive Tartarus.

Also, guess what? ONE CHAPTER LEFT. And once I'm done, I'm taking a day off before starting on the longest story of 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' and the whole 'The Tales of... series.


	52. Leo's POV Part XIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group

 **Piper:** Peacekeeper

 **Leo:** Mechanic and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)

 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together

 **Hazel:** Youngest (Literally and figuratively as the title refers to the fact that even though she has proven herself as one of the seven, Hazel still has much to learn compared to the rest about what she is capable to do that can help the group. Keep in mind Hazel has not master shadow travel or Mist Manipulation yet).

 **Frank:** Muscles

 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades** ', ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian** ' ' **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero** ' ' **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford** ' and **'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune'** before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XIII**

I was still in shock.

Everything had happened so quickly. We had secured the grappling lines to the Athena Parthenos just as the floor gave way, and the final columns of webbing snapped. Jason and Frank dove down to save the others, but they'd only found Nico and hazel hanging from the rope ladder. Percy and Annabeth were gone. The pit to Tartarus had been buried under several tons of debris. I pulled the _Argo II_ out of the cavern seconds before the entire place imploded, taking the rest of the parking lot with it.

The _Argo II_ was now parked on a hill overlooking the city. Jason, Hazel, and Frank had returned to the scene of the catastrophe, hoping to dig through the rubble and find a way to save Percy and Annabeth, but they'd come back demoralize. The cavern was simply gone. The scene was swarming with police and rescue workers. No mortal had been hurt, but the Italians would be scratching their heads for months, wondering how a massive sinkhole had opened right in the middle of a parking lot and swallowed a dozen perfectly good cars.

Dazed with grief, the others and me carefully loaded the Athena's Parthenos into the hold, using the ship's hydraulic winches with an assist from Frank Zhang, part-time elephant. The statue just fit, though we had no idea what to do with it.

Coach Hedge was too miserable to help. He kept pacing the deck with tears in his eyes, pulling at his goatee and should have saved them! I should have blown up more stuff!"

Finally, I told him to go below decks and secure everything for departure. He wasn't doing any good beating himself up.

The six of s gathered on the quarterdeck and gazed at the distant column of dust still rising from the site of the implosion.

I rested my hand on the Archimedes sphere, which now sat at the helm with the one I grabbed in the bunker (amazingly still in good piece), both were ready to be installed. I should have been excited. It was the biggest discovery in my life—bigger than when Beckendorf and I discovered Bunker 9. If I cold decipher Archimedes scrolls, I could do amazing things. I hardly dared to hope, but I might even able to build a new control disc for a certain dragon friend of mine.

Still, the price was too high, and caused of it I could almost hear Nemesis laughing.

She was right. I had opened the fortune cookie. I'd gotten the access code for the sphere and saved Frank and Hazel. But the sacrifice had been Percy and Annabeth. I was sure of it.

"It's my fault," I said miserably.

The others stared at me. Only Hazel seemed to understand. She'd been with me at the Great Salt Lake.

"No," she insisted. "No, this is _Gaea's_ fault. It had nothing to do with you."

I wanted to believe that, but I couldn't. Ever since we started in this voyage, I either had part in messing up, if I didn't do it myself.

"Leo, listen to me." Hazel gripped my hand. "I won't allow you to take the blame. I couldn't bear that after—after Sammy…"

She choked up, but I knew what she meant. My _bisabuelo_ had blamed himself for Hazel's disappearance. Sammy had lived a good life, but he'd gone to his grave believing that he'd spent a cursed diamond and doomed the girl he loved.

I didn't want to make Hazel miserable all over again, but this was different. I had chosen to break that cookie knowing the sacrifices. Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus. That couldn't be a coincidence.

Nico di Angelo shuffled over, leaning on his black sword. "Leo, they're not dead. If they were, I could feel it."

"How can you be sure?" I asked. "If that pit really led to… you know… how could you sense them so far away?"

Nico and Hazel shared a look, maybe comparing notes on their Hades/Pluto death radar. I shivered. Hazel never had never seemed like a child of the underworld to me. But Nico di Angelo—that guy was creepy.

"We can't be one hundred percent sure," Hazel admitted. "But I think Nico is right. Percy and Annabeth are still alive… at least, so far."

Jason pounded his fist against the rail. "I should've been _paying attention_. I could have flown down and saved them."

"Me, too," Frank moaned. The big dude looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Piper put her hand on Jason's back. It's not your fault, either of you. You were trying to save the statue."

"She's right," Nico said. "Even if the pit hadn't been buried, you couldn't have flown into it without being pulled down. You heard what Percy said about just being at the Underworld entrance into Tartarus, right? He wasn't lying. I'm the only one who has actually been into Tartarus and survived, and It's impossible to describe how powerful that place is. Once you get close, it sucks you in. I never stood a chance."

Frank sniffled. "Then Percy and Annabeth don't stand a chance either?"

Nico twisted his skull ring. "Percy is the most powerful demigod I met. No offense to you guys, but it's true. And he has the knowledge of the book Halcyon gave him. If anybody can survive, he will, especially if he's got Annabeth at his side. They're going to find a way through Tartarus."

Jason turned. "To the Doors of Death, you mean. But you told us it's guarded by Gaea's most powerful forces. How could two demigods possibly—?"

"I don't know," Nico admitted. "But Percy made me swear on the river of styx to lead you guys to Epirus, to the mortal side of the doorway. He's planning on meeting us there. If we can survive the House of Hades, fight our way through Gaea's forces, then maybe we can work together with Percy and Annabeth seal the Doors of Death from both sides."

"And get Percy and Annabeth back safely?" I asked.

"Maybe."

I didn't like the way Nico said that, as if he wasn't sharing all his doubts. Besides, I knew something about locks and doors. If the Doors of Death needed to be sealed from both sides, how could they do that unless someone stayed in the Underworld, trapped?

Nico took a deep breath. "I don't know how they'll manage it, but Percy and Annabeth will find a way. They'll journey through Tartarus and find the Doors of Death. When they do, we have to be ready."

"It won't be easy," Hazel said. "Gaea will throw everything she's got at us to keep us from reaching Epirus. Especially since we have the one thing that could ruin her plans."

"What else is new?" Jason sighed.

Piper nodded. "We've got no choice. We have to seal the Doors of Death before we can stop the giants from raising Gaea. Otherwise her armies will never die. It's our test as the Prophecy of Seven. One of which we need to hurry to complete. The Romans are in New York. Soon, they'll be marching on Camp Half-Blood."

"We've got one month at best," Jason added. "Ephialtes said Gaea plans to be awaken in exactly one month."

I straightened. "We can do it. Especially if I can upgrade the ship with the two Archimedes spheres I collected," I said, hoping I was right. "I'm going to study those ancient scrolls we got. There's got to be all kinds of new weapons I can make. We're going to hit Gaea's armies with a whole new arsenal of hurt."

At the prow of the ship, Festus creaked his jaw and blew fire defiantly.

Jason managed a smile. He clapped on my shoulder.

"Sounds like a plan, Admiral. You want to set the course?"

They kidded me, calling me Admiral, but for once I accepted the title. This was my ship. I hadn't come this far to be stopped.

We would find this House of Hades. We'd take the Doors of Death. And by the gods, if I had to design a grabber arm long enough to snatch Percy and Annabeth out of Tartarus then that's what I would do

Nemesis wanted me to wreck vengeance on Gaea? Well, I'm all too happy to oblige. Gaea already killed my mother, and I wasn't about to let her kill two of my best friends.

"Yeah." I took one last look at the cityscape of Rome, turning blood red in the sunset. "Festus, raise the sails. We've got some friends to save."

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope all of you enjoyed. I want to thank those of the 7,160 viewers who had been reading the story from beginning to end. I won't be posting the first Chapter of The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: the House of Hades until the day after tomorrow because-as I told you in the last chapter, I'm taking a day off from the series. But when I do, Leo will have one more title to add to his 'Admiral'.

Before I call it for the night, I still have one more thing to do, the summary of the next story...

 **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades** \- (Complete) Separated, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the stories of The Heroes of Olympus


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